The Lord's Instrument
by writer writing
Summary: Sister Ruth is staying with Michaela and Sully after Kid Cole's death. She pits herself against old and new enemies when she feels that the Lord is calling her to bring salvation to the Indians. One thing is for sure, Colorado Springs' citizens will never be the same again.
1. Chapter 1

Sister Ruth hadn't ever felt human loss so keenly.

She wasn't without human companionship. Michaela and Sully had welcomed her into their home with such love in their hearts she might have been their aging aunt, but she didn't see herself living out the rest of her life knitting and telling stories of the old days like her life was already over, no matter how much she loved the family.

She supposed the logical thing to do would have been to take her revival back out on the road, but she didn't seem to have the heart for it anymore. How could a woman in sore need of a revival and healing herself help other people?

She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was standing in Colorado Springs' graveyard in front of the headstone with Kid Cole's name on it and the words "Beloved Sheriff" underneath it. The town had put it up in his honor when they'd heard of his death though his body rested in the town where they'd shared their home. It was a fitting tribute from the town and fitting to her as this was the place where they'd first met, but she didn't feel any closer to him here than she did at his real burial site; he was just as silent and far away wherever she put herself on the earth.

She wondered for a moment if Kid Cole had been right in that it would have been easier for her if he'd divorced her instead of telling her that he was dying. She would have believed that he was still living at least. She quickly banished the thought. Not only would she have not given their last year together away for anything, but she knew he had no choice but to leave her, a better thought than thinking he chose to leave her.

She looked to the heavens and shouted her questions. "Why, God? Why would You bring him into my life for a few short years and then take him away from me? Why didn't You heal him? You could have! You've healed so many people. Why couldn't You have healed him too?"

The anger was spent for now and tears of grief coursed down her cheek in its place until she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly wiped the tears away before she turned around, a useless gesture as it turned out because the visitor couldn't have seen them anyway.

"Reverend, what a nice surprise. Were you looking for me?"

"I was as a matter of fact. You generally make it very easy to find you, Sister Ruth, a joy to a blind man I assure you."

Sister Ruth chuckled in spite of herself. "I don't know if I should be thanking you for that compliment as you're in affect calling me loud-mouthed, but I'll take it anyhow."

"I've asked Him that question many times in the past, the famous why question. Why did You take my sight away? Why won't You restore my sight? Why can't You make this life easier for Your children?"

"And has He answered you yet?"

"Not completely, no, but He will sooner or later, I'm sure."

"What did you want to see me about?" Sister Ruth asked.

"I was wondering if you would speak at the service this Sunday."

"Now I'm not so sure that's a good idea at the moment. God can more than handle my anger against Him right now, but I'm not so sure the good people of Colorado Springs can."

He smiled reassuringly. "I understand, and if you need to talk about anything at all, I make a pretty good listener. I know you're unsure about what God has planned for you next, but I know one thing, Sister Ruth, Colorado Springs had better get prepared because I think you're about to shake things up in this town again."

"I've never shaken anything up," Sister Ruth protested. "That's the Holy Ghost moving."

"You may be right, but you are His willing instrument, and when you allow God to work through you anything can happen and usually does." The reverend walked away on those words, his cane showing him the sure ground.

Sister Ruth closed her eyes and prayed her first unangry prayer since Kid Cole had passed away. "Lord, if that's so, if You have something for me to do here then let me be Your instrument because more than anything I need a purpose again."


	2. Chapter 2

Sister Ruth had taken Colleen's bedroom, as she was away at school. Ruth had insisted she didn't need a whole bedroom to herself and that she had made do with less before, but both Michaela and Sully wouldn't hear of her staying anywhere else but there.

Her hair was down and she was in her nightgown. She was ready for bed, but sleep wasn't going to come. It never came easily anymore.

She had Kid Cole's guitar out and was lovingly stroking the wood. She hadn't decided yet if the act made her pain better or worse, but it did make her feel connected.

She heard a soft knock on the door. "Come in," she called.

Michaela stepped in, shutting the door behind her. "I could hear that you were still up, and I thought you might like to talk."

"You shouldn't still be up, Dr. Mike. Your little girl gets up mighty early in the morning."

"I don't need a lot of sleep and we haven't had much of a chance to talk since you came back. Do you mind if I sit down?"

Ruth gestured to the foot of the bed. "Be my guest."

Once Michaela was settled she began, "Brian said you spent most of your day at the graveyard."

"Been doing a lot of thinking."

"It's good to take some time to think after something like this."

"If you're looking to give me some platitudes, it ain't necessary. I know where Kid Cole is, I know I'm going there too, and I know who to turn to help me deal with the present." She patted the Bible on the nightstand, a book that was never very far from her.

"I wasn't thinking of it."

"I'm sorry if I sound snappy. People mean well enough with their platitudes, but I haven't abandoned the Good Book. Some days all I do is repeat verses like 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain' over and over again. But at the moment, I am mourning, and it's not a fun place to be. 'Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.' It'll all begin to sink into this thick skull of mine."

"Is that Kid Cole's guitar?"

"Yeah, whenever I couldn't sleep, he'd play it for me."

"I still remember that beautiful Thanksgiving song he sang when we were trapped in the cabin. Maybe you can find somebody who could play it for you. Would that bring you some comfort?"

"I can strum around on the thing myself if I wanted to, but I don't know if I could stand the thought of someone else playing it."

"I can understand that."

"I should have been prepared for it. I knew he was dying. It shouldn't have been a shock when I lost him."

"If I know you, you were busy staying strong for him, staying strong in your faith to encourage his. You probably didn't give yourself much of a chance to let what was happening register."

"And in the back of my mind, I thought God could still perform a miracle, and it was a disappointment when He didn't, a disappointment that I'm still working out with Him, but we'll work it out. We always do. And in the meantime, I just have to find a way to work through the pain."

"Well, we're here for you," said Michaela, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "We all love you dearly in this house."

"I know, and I love you all too. You don't know what a comfort it is to an old woman with no kids or family but the Lord's to know she has such wonderful friends. Maybe I'll put this guitar up and see if I can't get some shuteye now."

"Sounds good to me," she said, getting up to leave.

"You don't have medicine that fixes an aching heart, do you?" Ruth asked with an anguished smile.

"No, I wish I did, but I do have medicine that will help you sleep."

She shook her head. "I'll let you know how it goes though. I may end up having to take you up on that offer."

Michaela left the room and Ruth was alone again. True to her word, she put the guitar up and shut her eyes. A past conversation with Michaela was replaying itself in her head just as she started to nod off. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she sat up with an excited look on her face. "That's it, isn't it, Lord? That's what you have planned for me next."


	3. Chapter 3

When Sister Ruth got to the table, only Katie and Michaela were in the kitchen. Michaela was cleaning off a sticky Katie, who had obviously been enjoying some maple syrup.

"You're up later than usual. Does that mean you actually got some sleep last night?"

"I did sleep a little better," Ruth admitted. "Everybody done eat but me?"

"Yeah, we left you some pancakes. We didn't want to wake you, in case you were finally getting some much needed rest."

Ruth pulled out two smaller pancakes from under a bigger pancake that was meant to keep some warmth in the smaller ones. After pouring maple syrup over the pancakes and coffee into a cup, she brought her breakfast over to the table. "Where's Sully?"

"He had some work to do related to his new job. Brian's on his way to school, and I'll be going into the clinic myself in a little bit. Do you have any plans today?"

"I do. That's why I wanted to know where Sully is. He fits into the plans I'm making."

That got Michaela's attention and she gave Ruth a curious look.

"Do you remember when you asked me what about the people who have other gods like the Indians and who heals them?"

"I remember," Michaela said slowly, trying to make sense of what it had to do with Sister Ruth's plans.

"You were right. What about those people right in our midst who are serving other gods? Why was I forgetting about them?"

"Their medical needs are being met if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not talking about their medical needs so much. I'm concerned with their spiritual needs. Who is telling them about Christ? I needed to be a healer and a revivalist for a time. Then there was a season for me to be Kid Cole's wife, to bring him to Christ, and we did a lot of good together as man and wife and had a lot of happiness. We brought one of those little girls we were carting through here to God. I've been following His callings, but now He's laid this on my heart. I'll know for sure it's the next stage of my life when the doors start to open to allow it. He never gives you a calling if He doesn't intend to use it for His and your good in some way."

Michaela clearly grew uncomfortable. "Sister Ruth, I know your heart's in the right place with this, but they're happy with their own religions. We shouldn't try to force ours on them."

Sister Ruth looked amused. "Do you think I hold a gun on them?"

"Well, no, of course not. That's not what I'm saying."

"I don't see black or white or red or any other color when I look at people. I see souls."

"And I've always admired that about you, Ruth. It's just they have their own culture, their own way of doing things that's been passed down through generations. It would be wrong of us to tell them their way of doing things is wrong."

"Culture? I'm not interested in changing their culture. That's why I'm not trying to join a lot of the local missionary groups around here and seeking out Sully's help instead. I don't hardly care what they wear or how they eat; that's their culture, and they shouldn't have to change it. I'm not looking to make them white. I'm just looking to see that they bring the good Lord into that culture."

"But their religion is part of their culture."

"You think the Lord and Maker of the heavens and the earth is white man's god? He ain't. He was the Israelites' god, an Ethiopian's god, He was a Mideonite's god, and a Canaanite prostitute's god, and I thank Him that He brought people who spread the good news into Europe. You've heard the command Jesus gave before He left: to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, to teach them to follow His commands?"

"Well, yes, but there's also such a thing as tolerance. You can't convince every person to follow after Christ and you have to love and accept them anyway."

"That's so, but I don't have to tolerate sin and ignorance. I work to change it, and no, I don't always succeed, but how can I not try? You told me once you believe in God, Michaela, I believed you and I still do, but that's not where it ends. You believe in a heaven?"

"Of course."

"You believe in a hell?"

"I suppose I do."

"You believe there's only one God and one judge?"

"Well, yes."

"And you're willing to let your fellow travelers to the grave perish without knowing these truths? God ain't going to be separating us up by race and nation and beliefs like the world likes to do. There's going to be only one question that matters and that He's going to ask: did you know Me? And I can't be a party to keeping these things a secret in the names of tolerance and culture because there's only One that I answer to when it's all said and done."

"You make it hard to argue with you, Sister Ruth, and you certainly make a person think."

Ruth had found time to take bites during the conversation, and she finished by draining her cup of coffee. She added her plate and cup to the dirty dishes. "Don't worry about doing the dishes. I'll be back by here for lunch and get the kitchen all cleaned up for you. If you want me to, I can bring you by some lunch and update you on my work while I'm at it."

"I would appreciate it," Michaela answered, her voice laced in worry.

"Honey, I don't want to fret you none. I know I'm too blunt at times, but there's only two sides to be on. You're either for God or you're against Him whether you mean to be or not. The Lord don't take none of this lukewarm stuff, this one toe in the water kind of thing. You got to decide what you're going to listen to," Ruth said, as she picked up her Bible, "what the Lord tells you in His book or what the world tries to tell you, not an easy task for anybody but a necessary one." Ruth kissed Katie on the forehead and hugged Michaela before she headed out the door, her way of softening up her words.

Michaela watched her leave through the window. There was a definite liveliness in her walk again, which was something to be happy about, but Sully wasn't going to like this, the Indians weren't going to like it, a good number of townspeople weren't going to like it, and she still wasn't sure if she was going to like it. She could see the writing on the wall, so to speak, and it spelled out anger and violence.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sully!" Sister Ruth called out when she caught sight of the familiar buckskins. She was still a good distance away and all but ran to catch up with him.

"Sister Ruth," he said in a kind and gentle voice. He knew there couldn't have been anything too wrong from the smile she was wearing, but he asked anyway, "There's nothing wrong, is there?

"Not in the sense you mean. You got time to talk or you still busy?"

"Just finished sending my telegram."

"Good because I'm about to bust with excitement. I've got a favor to ask of you."

He nodded to encourage her to continue.

"I'm wanting to get back in the business of saving souls, and I believe the Lord is directing me to the Indians. I want you to teach me as much as you know about them. I'd be especially happy if you went with me to act as an interpreter or a guide."

Sully didn't have words to that revelation. He only stared.

"Don't look at me like I've flipped my lid or gone senile," she said with a chuckle. "Although I've seen that look from plenty of people over the years."

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "It was just a surprise. That's all."

"A good surprise I hope."

The look on his face spoke volumes alone, but he explained, "Your problem is that there's not just one tribe on the reservation. Fortunately, most of them can speak varying degrees of English, but they've all got different barriers to overcome. It would just be too hard and there'd be too many problems, the danger being near the top of the list. I would pick a different group of people." His eyes fell on the saloon. "If you wanted some protection to witness to the people in the saloon, I would be happy to help."

She turned toward the saloon. "Sounds mighty tempting. The Lord's got a lot of lost sheep in there, and it may be that I'll feel called to go in there before it's over, in which case, I'll be glad to turn to you for some help, but right now I need help with the Indians. So are you up for it or not?"

"What exactly were you planning to do to convince them to change their ways? Because they might be impressed with the way you can heal, but—"

She shook her head and jumped to explain, "Faith healing don't work way. The person has got to believe in the Lord's power to be healed, or you have to have a group of strong believers praying together, and it might even be the Lord's not willing to take the affliction away because it runs opposite His will, but the Lord's power to heal isn't made to be wielded as a tool to impress the unbelievers. The message of the gospel alone can touch hearts, and if a person has hardened their heart against it, all the miracles in the world can't soften it, not even if a body arose from the dead and preached the gospel straight to them."

"I don't think I can do it, and it's not because I don't want to help you. You see they trust me to respect their way of life, and if I violated their trust, they wouldn't have anybody they would feel they could turn to in the white world. If we want them to respect us, we got to give respect in return and not try to change them."

"I can see how much you love them. That's why I thought of you for this."

"And I'm honored, but when you love someone, you don't try to change them and make them into something they're not."

"The truth is I wouldn't really be loving people if I didn't care what happened to them beyond this life."

"I understand what you're saying, Sister Ruth, and believing the way you do, I can see how this is coming from an outpouring of love. I just don't agree. You don't know that they're not going to heaven."

She opened her Bible to Revelations and began to read, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.'" She looked up, so that she was making eye contact. "We're all these things, Sully. We are mortal sinners worthy of hellfire, but because He is merciful and loving, He has given us and the Indians a way out of it, but there is only one way, only one name given through which men might be saved, and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ."

Sully gave a heavy sigh. He was beginning to understand what Kid Cole meant when he called her the noisiest, bossiest creature on God's green earth. "And nothing I can say is going to convince you to change your mind?" Sully asked.

"Not unless God Himself tells me different."

Sully knew there was no way he could argue theology with her, but he knew who could. He took her gently by the arm. "I want you to talk to the reverend before you start off on this venture of yours," Sully said, as he guided her toward the church. "He's walked down this road before, and I think he can give you some sage advice."

Sister Ruth didn't argue. She looked perfectly calm, but Sully could tell the reverend wasn't going to have an easy time of it.

"It's me and Sister Ruth, Reverend," Sully called out as they entered through the church door.

The reverend moved to greet them. "Sister Ruth, have you changed your mind about Sunday?"

"I plan to be preaching, but it won't be to your congregation," Sister Ruth said good-naturedly.

"I don't understand," the reverend said with a look of confusion.

"You will," Sully said softly, barely able to keep his exasperation in check.

Ruth looked at Sully with an understanding that made him feel transparent, and she said, "I know you're just dying to go talk this over with Dr. Mike, so go ahead. I'm sure she's dying to talk to you too. I'll explain everything to the good reverend."

Though Sully was hesitant to leave the reverend alone with this woman that seemed almost superhuman, he was anxious to talk it over with Michaela. They needed a plan if the conversation didn't work like he hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

"What's this all about?" the reverend asked when Sully was gone.

"Sully's afraid I'm going to cause the next Indian uprising or get myself or somebody else maimed or killed in the process of trying."

"I see," he said in a tone that said he wasn't really following. "And are you?"

"Well, I sure hope not. I just want to preach the good news to the Indians."

"We better have a seat," the reverend said, sensing a long conversation ahead.

"You pick the pew, and I'll set down with you."

The reverend moved to the closest pew and Ruth sat down next to him. "You going to try and talk me out of it?" she asked right off the bat.

"I only want to offer you some counsel, not tell you what to do. I take it that you feel this is the answer God has for you."

"I sure do, Reverend."

"Maybe you need to take some more time to think about it. The Lord's answers aren't always quick and easy."

"And sometimes they are."

"That's true too," he acknowledged.

"Sully said something about you having walked down this road. Have you tried witnessing to them before?"

The reverend looked glad to be asked and immediately began explaining, "They recently set up a school on the reservation. I was their teacher for most subjects. I was teaching them the alphabet when I learned they'd never even heard of Adam and Eve, so I began teaching them about Jesus and how they could get to heaven. I felt justified because it was part of the manual of things we were to be teaching them. I was even about to baptize some of the children, but Dr. Mike and Sully taught me that it wasn't my place as their teacher or friend to be bringing the pulpit down there. I can't make them believe what I believe."

"In other words, keep your religion to Sundays within the four walls of your church. I can't agree with that philosophy, but I can see how what you did was a mistake," Ruth said.

"You do," he said with obvious relief. He hadn't been expecting her to give in so easily, but for some reason, he felt a little disappointed that she had.

"I'm not saying it was wrong to teach those kids the way to salvation," she said, seeing that he had taken her words the wrong way, "but it was like you was going behind their parents' back. You should have been teaching the adults too. And no you can't make a single person believe the way you do, but you got to put the information out there and lead by example, and it's between them and God what they do with it after that."

He tried a different approach. "You know Sully's right in telling you that it's dangerous work. You really could get killed. What do you think Kid Cole would tell you if he were here?"

"That's a low blow to throw at a grieving widow, but I'll answer anyway. He'd say walk on, Sister Ruth, keep on doing the Lord's work until we meet in glory. Don't fear men that can kill the body. Fear the One who can destroy both body and soul."

"I apologize," he said, looking genuinely sorry. "I shouldn't have brought him into it. Let me put it to you this way. They have their beliefs and we have ours. I've learned things move much more peacefully on both sides when we simply share what our people believe and they share what theirs believe."

"'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword'," she quoted.

"'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God,'" he quoted back.

"But true peace doesn't come at the expense of denying God. 'Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.' It tells us to shout about Him from the housetops. What we believe is absolute truth or it means nothing, but I know this book in my hand is God's Holy Word, His message to all of mankind, and the only way to know truth. Any other belief system that tries to go apart from this book is just plain wrong and needs correcting, and if you don't believe that, Reverend, you're in the wrong business."

"I do believe what you're saying, but I've earned their friendship and now they listen to what I have to say. Isn't that a step in the right direction?"

"But are you telling them everything they need to hear or are you trying to spare their feelings and do the impossible by trying to please everybody? I have a great respect for you. You're a kind and gentle man, and you're a great listener. The Lord knows I wish I talked less and listened more like He wants us to, but think about this: if they don't see your passion and dedication to what you believe in, to God, why should they believe that He's any different from their gods?"

The reverend smiled and held up his hands in mock surrender. "I can see I won't talk you out of it, but I'm afraid I can't be of much help with your ministry. I just wouldn't feel right about it for a number of reasons."

"I'm not going to ask you to do something you don't feel the Lord leading you to do. I'm bossy, but I'm not that bossy. I do want you to baptize me if you will."

Relief sagged into his formerly tense posture when he learned she wouldn't be asking for his help with her mission. "That I can do, but I can't imagine that you haven't already been baptized."

"I have been, but I want to do a rededication. It feels like a new chapter in my life, and I want to show the Lord and everybody else that I'm ready to do His will in this new journey. How about we do it first thing in the morning? There's just something about the start of a brand new day that can fill a body full of hope if they'll let it."

"It's a good time for me. I hear the sparkle in your voice that I know reaches to your eyes." He reached out for her hand and she obliged. "I'm happier than I can say for you, and I hope good comes from all this."

"I know it will, but will you do me one last thing? I don't see many other of my friends praying for this mission. If anything, they'll probably be praying against it, and I want to be covered up in prayer. Would you pray with me?"

"Gladly." They both closed their eyes and bowed their heads as he led them in a heartfelt prayer for Ruth's protection and for the mission.

sss

Michaela was at the clinic, where she was trying to focus on reading a medical journal, but her mind kept wondering to Sister Ruth's words.

Sully came into the clinic, and Michaela couldn't help but smile. "You have that I've-just-talked-to-Sister-Ruth look. I guess she found you."

"She sure did. She wants me to teach her the Indians' culture and even go with her, so she can convert them all. What is she thinking?"

She closed her medical book. "She's thinking with her heart instead of her head, but give her some credit. She cares about their culture. That's more than most will do. She just wants them to have God too."

He lost some of his exasperation. "You're right. The question is how are we going to get her to see reason?"

"Sister Ruth is going to do what Sister Ruth is going to do when she believes God is backing her, and she won't care what other people's opinions are even if the whole world is against her."

"Maybe I better warn Cloud Dancing she's coming," he said with no traces of humor.

Michaela tried to cover up her smile with her hand, but she could tell Sully wasn't fooled. "She can seem a little much at first, but she's not a plague. Wouldn't it be better if you do as she asks and keep an eye on her? Help her avoid some prickly paths she could and probably will run into? And Sister Ruth is not without the ability to listen as strong-willed as she is; you might help her see another way of thinking while you're at it."

Sully finally loosened up and smiled, sitting down on the corner of her desk. "I suppose I did overreact just a little. I drug her over to the church and left her with the reverend to see if he could talk some sense into her."

Michaela bent over with laughter, so that her head was resting on Sully's leg. Sully joined in the laughter. It wasn't that it was so terribly funny, but they were happy to see their friend was on the road to recovery even if they weren't completely at ease with the method she was using.


	6. Chapter 6

When Sister Ruth arrived, Michaela was cleaning off some of her instruments.

"I'm here with the food just in time. You're looking a mite peaked, Dr. Mike. Take a load off and come eat."

"I am hungry," she said, taking a seat.

Sister Ruth set down a bowl with broth and biscuits floating in it. She had wrapped a towel around it and carefully transported it into town. She had also brought some freshly baked cookies along.

"It smells wonderful."

"Just wait till you have a bite. It tastes even better." Sister Ruth bowed her head and Michaela followed suit.

"Lord," Sister Ruth prayed, "nourish our bodies and our souls as we enjoy each other's company. We humbly ask this in Your Son's precious name. Amen."

As soon as the amen rung out, Michaela got her spoon and took a bite. "This is delicious." She wasn't really surprised, as she'd had Sister Ruth's cooking before and knew her to be a good cook, but she couldn't quite put a finger on the flavor. "What is it?" she asked right before she took another spoonful.

"Squirrel and dumplings."

Michaela practically choked mid-bite and while she managed to swallow it, she was thrown into a fit of coughing.

"You didn't know I was a crack shot, did you? I borrowed me a rifle and had them squirrels dressed and ready for the pot in less than an hour," she said, as she gave her a couple of good pats on the back to make sure her windpipe was clear. "I can give you the receipt. Up in the mountains where I'm from, there ain't no food better to help get rid of a cold or the ague."

Michaela smiled thinly. "That's very generous, but what about you? Why aren't you eating? You did fix enough for yourself too, didn't you?"

"I done eat some. I wasn't sure if you'd be busy or not, and I didn't want to make you feel obligated to stop what you was doing to eat with me. You eat up."

Michaela had been hoping she could insist Sister Ruth finish it or at least split it with her, but she couldn't see a way out of the meal now without hurting Sister Ruth's feelings, so she bravely decided on eating the rest of it. It got easier with each bite, but it wasn't an experience she looked forward to repeating because she couldn't quite get the image of squirrels off her mind.

Sister Ruth had waited for her to finish the dumplings before she started talking. "I never did see Sully after he dropped me off with the reverend. Did you and he have your talk?"

"We did, and he's decided—"

A mother suddenly rushed in with her crying 4 year old daughter. A rag was wrapped around the little girl's hand. "She was helping me with the cooking and she cut herself on the knife. It looks real deep, Dr. Mike, and it doesn't seem like it wants to stop bleeding."

Lowering herself to the girl's level, she asked gently, "May I see?"

The girl's sobs subsided momentarily, but the tears kept falling as she held out her hand for her to see.

After examining the wound, she told the mother, "It'll need stitches." Focusing her attention back on the girl, she said, "But it just so happens that I have a cookie for any patient that gets stitches today."

The girl though not completely happy with the diagnosis looked longingly toward the cookies and then obediently went over to the examining table.

"I'll see you at the house, Dr. Mike," Sister Ruth said with a smile, having enjoyed watching her wonderful bedside manner.

"We'll finish the conversation then," Michaela promised.

sss

Sister Ruth had supper ready and waiting when Michaela and Sully came home with Katie that evening.

"You don't have to keep doing things for us like this," Michaela said. "We didn't bring you into our home to be our housekeeper."

"It's the least I can do, and I like to keep busy. It takes my mind off things. Besides, Brian helped me when he got finished with his homework."

"I'm pleased to hear it." She peeked over into the pots and pans, and Michaela was greatly relieved to see that it wasn't squirrel.

Ruth winked at her, not missing her close examination of the food. "It's just fried chicken, baked beans, and potatoes. That suit you more than squirrel?"

Michaela smiled. "The dumplings were good, but I do admit I like chicken better."

"Glad to hear it. You can get you a second helping and put some meat on them bones."

Sully had been smiling during this exchange. He couldn't help but like Sister Ruth and was sorry for their disagreement, although it didn't change the fact that he still disagreed.

They got the food on the plates and had just sat down to eat when there was a knock at the door.

It was Jake. "We need you down at the saloon, Dr. Mike. There was a big fight and there's a lot of bleeding and gunshot wounds to take care of."

"Oh, mercy," Sister Ruth said. "I'll send up some prayers."

Michaela had retrieved her bag during the time it took for Sister Ruth to say that and was getting ready to follow Jake.

"I'm going with you," Sully said in a voice that brooked no argument. "Chances are some folks are still pretty stirred up if it's bad as it sounds."

"You two go on and don't worry about here," Ruth said. "I'll watch the youngens."

Sully and Michaela left with Jake.

"Well, our numbers surely dropped fast," Ruth commented. "That's what comes from having a ma that's a doctor, I guess. Can't let all this fried chicken go to waste though, can we?"

"No, ma'am," Brian heartily agreed and dug into the chicken with a hunger that only a growing boy could display.

sss

"_The river of Jordan is chilly and cold _

_Hallelujah _

_Chills the body but warms the soul _

_Hallelujah_," Sister Ruth sang with enthusiasm as she stepped into the water, thinking about the joy that had come from her first baptism. It had been the first time she had ever publicly displayed her belief in God other than to the preacher in her hometown when she had first went to him to be saved after a sermon that had touched her soul, and it had also been one of the first acts of obedience in her then new faith.

Although it wasn't the river of Jordan, the water in Colorado was certainly cold this time of the morning. She had pulled out her old white robe that had used for meetings and had put it on over her oldest dress. The skirts now billowed around her and impeded her walking, but she made it one step at a time. The reverend was already in the water waiting for her to come up to him.

An interested crowd of townsfolk had gathered and among them she recognized some familiar faces.

"Sister Ruth has been baptized once," the reverend began. "She wants it to be known that she has already been buried with Christ and been raised to walk in the newness of life. She has professed her belief in the Lord Jesus Christ before. She comes today not to receive a second baptism, but she does come in order to rededicate and renew herself to His plans for her before you here today. She feels He is calling her to bear witness to the Indians on the reservation and she wants to publicly demonstrate her obedience and dedication to this new calling. Are you ready, Sister Ruth?"

He lowered her into the water going slowly and carefully because of his lack of eyesight and then he pulled her up again. "Go and do His will."

Nothing was changed from the act. God was already working in her to restore the joy of her salvation before this public rededication, but now Colorado Springs was a witness to the work of renewal that the Lord was doing in her, and it was her prayer that He would soon be moving in their hearts and lives as well.

She sloshed back to dry land where Sully was waiting for her on the bank, and he lent her a hand to help her climb up it. She and the kids had been in bed by the time Michaela and Sully gotten back last night and she had been up earlier than anybody, but she had left them a note to tell them what she was doing and where she was going. "Do you still want to learn about some of the ways of the Cheyenne and other tribes at the reservation before you begin this madness?"

She smiled wide in response. "I sure do. Sully, you are the answer to a prayer."

"I don't know about that, Sister Ruth, but I will help at least in this way."

**Historical Note: Receipt was the 1800s word for recipe, which is why I used it in the dialogue. Although the word recipe was in use, it generally referred to instructions for making up medicine not food.**


	7. Chapter 7

Sully and Sister Ruth went back to the house, so she could change into dry clothes.

When she was changed, he gestured toward the door with his head. "It's best we go outside for the lesson. I want to show you how they do storytelling."

"Fine by me. I could use a little warm sunshine. I'm still a little chilled."

Once they were outside in the grass, he began, "I'm going to start with the Cheyenne, but Cloud Dancing is the only Cheyenne on the reservation, so it may not seem like the most practical, but it's the one I know the most about. It's also going to be useful to you because if you can get Cloud Dancing to your side, you'll have an easier time of it, but you're also going to run into the Pawnee, Arapahoe, Crow, and Lakota on the reservation."

"Well, I want you to tell me everything you can about them all," she said, not seeming daunted by the mix of different tribes.

"The first thing you should know is that the Cheyenne really value harmony. They don't enjoy arguments."

"It may not seem like it since I always seem to be surrounded by a whirlwind of trouble and arguing, but I value it too. I'm not looking to pick fights with people."

"Storytelling is a big part of their culture," Sully continued. "It's an art to them, and they are eager to hear new and old stories alike. You won't find a better audience as long as you don't go insulting them."

"I'm liking what I'm hearing already, and there ain't no better stories than from the Good Book. You know Jesus loved to use stories on the people to get His point across, don't you, so I know He appreciates the value of a good and well told story too."

"They're most comfortable telling stories when they're sitting down in a circle. Are you able to get down on the ground?" he asked, studying her closely.

Ruth moved to the ground, not in a fluid, graceful movement, but she made it down. She adjusted her skirts to make sure they were still modestly covering her legs. "I can get down on the ground well enough, but getting back up again might be a trick if I'm down here for any length of time. I'm not as limber as I used to be."

He smiled in response. "I can help you get back up again. That ain't a problem." He joined her on the ground, sitting cross-legged and continued with his teaching. "Another thing you should know is they believe sacred stories should only be told at night. Cloud Dancing won't be overly offended if you don't because one thing he's had to learn with white folks and other tribes alike is to adapt when in their company to get along, but if you went out of the way to respect his beliefs, I'm sure that he will return the favor."

"He's a very nice man as I recall. Brought that turkey we had for Thanksgiving, and I remember him bowing his head when I asked the blessing."

"He is nice, but he may not be so pleasant when he finds out what you're trying to do. He thinks it's just as aggressive to try to wipe out their spiritual beliefs as it is to kill them off, and I can't say I blame him for thinking that way."

"Well, I'll just have to show him that it's not the same thing at all. What about their religion? What is it that he believes exactly?"

"Like any religion there are a lot of different elements to it. There's the sweat lodge, the white buffalo, vision quests, the spirits. I suppose a good place to begin would be with their creation story. They believe in Heammawihio, their chief god and creator who they believe lives in the sky and came down for a time to teach them the things they needed to know like making arrows. They believe this god created man and woman from his rib."

"Why that's amazing," Sister Ruth said.

Sully saw the genuine look of delight on her face and didn't understand where it was coming from.

Noticing his puzzled expression, she explained. "You don't seem to see how much there is in common with what the Bible teaches in just that little bit. God made Eve from Adam's rib. He came down to live among us to teach us and pay for our sins. Not a perfect parallel, but close enough that I don't believe it's an accident."

"But it's still different. How can you use it?"

"When Paul preached to the Greeks in Athens, he built a bridge by using their own religion. One of the gods they worshiped was the unknown god, and Paul explained to them who the unknown god was. This is my bridge at least with Cloud Dancing. Giving what you've told me. I think the original Cheyenne must have had the truth about creation at one point. After all, we all come from Adam and Eve and Noah and so it stands to reason our ancestors knew what was what at one point, but see the truth it got diluted over the years because it's man's nature not to remember perfectly. He adds and takes things away until things start getting scrambled up; that's why the written word is so important. It's not going to change like oral tellings will."

"It's an interesting thought, but He's not going to start believing your way because his beliefs share some things in common with the Bible."

"No, but now we have some common ground to talk about and who knows what that will lead too? It's not as hard to convince people of God's reality as you might think. I believe that deep down man knows of God. It's just sometimes he lets other things like his pride get in the way of knowing God until it's too late to ignore God any longer."

"How do you figure that?"

"Romans 1:20 says 'For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.' What do the Cheyenne think of women? Is he going to be willing to listen to me?"

"They value them. Maybe even more than our own culture does. They're in charge of the home. If they want to throw their husband out of the tipi they can and do. They take part in storytelling too, so Cloud Dancing won't have a problem listening to you."

"I know a lot of women who wish they could throw their husband out of the house every now and then," she said with a chuckle. "Maybe we ought to adopt some of the Cheyenne's ways."

He smiled at her joke but answered her seriously. "There's something to be learned from every group of people."

"Amen to that. I know you've just started teaching me, and I don't mean to sound impatient even though I know I am, but when will I be able to go to the Indians?"

"That probably won't happen right away. You can't just go rolling into the reservation on a wagon. You'll have to get it past some people first. I'm going to see if I can't arrange for you to meet with Cloud Dancing first of all."

"Well, it's a good thing I've got you to guide me through the waters."

"Would you like to go into the house and sit on the furniture now before we delve deeper?" Sully asked.

"Praise be, I thought you'd never ask. My bones, among other things, thank you."

Sully couldn't keep a straight face as he helped her to her feet. It definitely wasn't easy staying annoyed with Sister Ruth.


	8. Chapter 8

Sully had official work to do the next day. He had to escort some politician around Colorado Springs, so Sister Ruth used the time to go to the store as she needed a couple of items for herself, and she wanted to buy some food items for Michaela and Sully, not wanting to take advantage of their hospitality.

Loren was behind the counter when she went in.

"Brother Loren, I haven't seen you since I got back in town. You still in good health?"

"Never better, never better. My hearing is as sharp as ever," he said, patting the ear that had been healed.

"The Lord is good," she said with a smile.

"Yep, He sure is," he said with an answering smile before it suddenly changed to a frown. "I was real sorry to hear about Kid Cole." His eyes moved downward and though the sentiment came out in his usual gruff tones, the genuine feeling could still be heard behind the gruffness.

Sister Ruth especially appreciated the words from him because she knew how hard it was for him to say anything that was connected with his more tender emotions. "Thank you. You look like you have something else on your mind, brother."

"The reservation ain't no place for a lady," he said, the words rushing out in a bark.

"Well, that's okay," she said lightly. "I ain't much of a lady, at least as far as following all the rules of polite society goes." She started gathering up her items.

He shook his head adamantly. "It's no joke, and well, the reservation won't be your only trouble. People around here don't think too kindly of Indians, and I've heard a lot of grumblings around the store and about the town already about what you're planning to do."

"I'm sure you have, brother, and that generally means I'm doing something right. I can't keep my light under a bushel because of a few sour apples."

He could see arguing was a lost cause. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

"It means a lot that you care enough to warn me," she said gently, as she laid a packet of needles and a big floppy hat on the table. She was buying the hat because she anticipated she would be spending more time out in the sun and she burnt easily. She went back for a bag of flour, a bag of sugar, and a wheel of cheese and then she pulled out a green bill. "This enough to cover everything?"

He nodded. "Enough to have a little left over too."

"Go ahead and set me up an account and tack it on. I may be here awhile."

He gave another nod and pulled out his book to make a note of the extra money.

"I'll be seeing you I'm sure, brother."

He gave a grunt that neither confirmed nor denied the statement.

The needles went into her pocket and the hat onto her head. She found the food items a little more difficult to carry, but it was still manageable.

As she came out of the door though, she found herself in the path of one of the town's matrons, and there was no way to avoid a collision. The flour and sugar landed with a thud, but the cheese rolled a few feet before it fell over. Before she could say anything or make a move to pick anything up, the matron was speaking to her.

"If it isn't the holy woman come to save the bloodthirsty savages. Don't you have any decorum or sense at all?"

"Well, I was going to say I was sorry, but now I'm not so sure that I am."

"You know I never liked you from the moment I first saw you. Coming into church that day like you owned the place."

"I thought I was in God's house, not yours."

"I pay tithes, so it amounts to the same thing," she said, ever so slightly lifting her head higher.

"Give me an everyday, ordinary sinner any day," Sister Ruth said under her breath with a quick glance heavenward.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked, her eyes glittering like hard jewels.

"I was just commenting on how I find it easier to witness to the common sinner. You see they generally recognize they're a sinner and that's the first step in accepting Christ. You can't admit you need Him if you can't admit you're not living right."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"It's harder to witness to the sinners that warm a pew every Sunday, thinking heaven's theirs because they follow all the rules. They think they know all about God, but they know nothing of His love, and if they don't know love, they don't know Him. 'Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.'"

"Well, I never," the woman sniffed with indignation. "You're surely not talking about me."

"If your heart is telling you that you are such a sinner, now's the time to answer the Lord's call, sister. He can have you loving the so called savages and holy women before you know it, and it'll make you sure that you won't be one of the ones who was calling on God's name in vain."

With one final huff, she walked off, letting her distaste for Sister Ruth be known with the clack of her heels.

"I guess there goes my chances of being asked to join the ladies' quilting circle," Ruth said to herself with a chuckle and shake of her head before bending over to pick up the groceries.


	9. Chapter 9

Sully used a bird call to signal Cloud Dancing to meet him at the edge of the reservation, as he still couldn't technically be on the reservation.

He didn't have to wait long before he spotted Cloud Dancing striding toward him. "Sully, what can be so important that you are risking being seen?"

"I'm doing it as a favor for a friend and because it's been too long since I've seen you. Besides, I know where the border is. I'm not on the reservation strictly speaking," he said with a smile. "Do you remember that Thanksgiving when you brought the turkey that we ate at Michaela's? There was an older couple there, friends of Michaela and mine, that ate with us too. Do you remember the woman, Sister Ruth?"

"The woman with white man's holy book? I remember, she reminded me of a Cheyenne medicine woman in her spirituality."

"Had she been born Cheyenne she probably would have been chosen to become a medicine woman. She certainly has all the traits the Cheyenne would seek out," Sully said, agreeing with the assessment. "Well, her husband has died, and she's been staying with us. She wants to meet with you."

Cloud Dancing looked surprised. "She wants to meet with me? Why?"

Sully, never one for beating around the bush, came out with it. "Being spiritual like you mentioned, she thinks your souls are in danger, and she wants you to have white man's god because she believes it's the only way to heaven. She wants mostly to convince you of this, but she also wants your blessing to be on the reservation."

He didn't get immediately angry like Sully had expected given his past reactions to the reverend and other said missionaries, instead he looked thoughtful. "That is a common belief among your people." Then he asked, "What do you think of white man's god?"

Sully was momentarily taken back. It was a question he had never been directly asked before, which was amazing in itself considering how much time he had been spending with Sister Ruth lately, as he taught her about the tribes on the reservation. He had a feeling she strongly suspected he wasn't saved, at least according to her beliefs, because some of the things she'd had to say seemed directed at him. Still, he wasn't quite sure how to answer Cloud Dancing. At last, he said, "He hasn't ever done anything for me."

"So He is supposed to serve you in the way that you want, and if He does not, you turn elsewhere?"

He realized he was already giving him the wrong impression about God, at least as Sister Ruth knew Him, and she would probably throttle him if she could see him now, he thought with wry humor. "That's not quite it, I guess. It's simply that if He's powerful enough to accomplish half as much as what people like the reverend and Sister Ruth like to believe, He can't think very much of me. He let my parents die. He let my first wife and child die. There was a whole bloody war we fought back east not too long ago and both sides thought God was on their side. Where was He in all that mess? The Cheyenne embraced me and became my family in a way that my own people didn't, in a way that my own supposed God didn't. That's why I made the Cheyenne beliefs my own."

Cloud Dancing asked, "And your life has been better since then?"

"I haven't fared any worse." Sully thought about all of the lives lost at Washita. "I guess that our beliefs don't always save us either, but I was at a low point in my life when I met up with the Cheyenne. It helped me, and that's all I know or care to."

"So you would never again have anything to do with this white god?"

Sully wasn't sure why Cloud Dancing was suddenly so interested, but he answered. "I wouldn't go that far. I do go to church with Michaela and the kids sometimes. I won't be a stumbling block on their spiritual path, but it's not the spiritual path I've chosen."

He gave a nod, showing that he was in full agreement with Sully's last statement. "I have heard the reverend speak, so I know white man's beliefs, but I am interested to hear what she will say. Bring her, and I will meet with her. She will not change me, but I will talk to her if that is what she wants."

sss

It was twilight when they arrived at the edge of the reservation. Sister Ruth's hair had taken on a reddish tint due to the sunset, appropriate as it now seemed to match the fire in her soul. Cloud Dancing was already waiting, having agreed to the time with Sully in advance.

Sully helped Sister Ruth down from the wagon they had taken, and she wasted no time going straight over to Cloud Dancing. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," she told him. "I'm sorry that you can't leave this reservation. It ain't right. There's a lot of things that ain't right about the way this reservation is being run."

"There are, but you came not to speak of the plight of my people but of spiritual matters."

"I don't want you to think I don't care about the things that are happening to you. I want you to know if I can help you with these things at all I will." She cast sad eyes at his linen shirt and pants and shorn hair. "I thought your hair and clothing were perfectly fine, but I can see they've already forced you to dress and cut your hair in our style."

"They have, but they cannot change what is on the inside. Our skin will not turn white no matter what they do."

She gave an appreciative chuckle. "No, it won't. I don't know how much Sully has told you, but I'm here because I want it to be known that the Lord Jesus Christ loves you. He cares for your plight, your worldly trials, but most of all He cares about your soul. Many years ago, He came to us, and by us I mean all people, and died for the wrongs that we have committed that we might know life without end after this one. He will give the gift of forgiveness if we ask Him too. All we have to do is confess to our wrongs, believe in Jesus and how God raised Him from the dead and we will be saved, and this message has to be taken to the ends of the earth even into your reservation. He is our only hope, the hope of all mankind, which is why I'm standing in front of you now."

"I have heard this message before and so have many of my brothers. I do not need your god. The spirits talk to me. You believe in spirits?"

"I do. We refer to them as angels and demons."

"Do you know the power of dreams?" he asked.

"Dreams that come from God, yes, but not all dreams are from God."

His eyes seemed to flash with anger even though his facial expression or stance didn't change. "Are you trying to say the spirits that come to me are evil?"

"I can't answer that for sure. Maybe God has had a hand in your dreams to prepare you for salvation, but once you have His Word and the Holy Spirit, you won't need the dreams. The answers you need come from this Book in my hand and the promptings of the Spirit."

There was a long pause before Cloud Dancing answered, trying to make sense of her words and to control his anger. "You are welcome to join our circle, to share your people's beliefs, but you are not welcome to stand before us and say that we are wrong. Many of our children suffered nightmares when the reverend first spoke of where they would go if they didn't go to white man's heaven."

"I'm sorry about that too. It wasn't handled in the best way from what I hear. I promise to be gentle and loving when I speak of the truth, as I am called to do, but would you wish for me to lie to you? Because if I say in front of everyone at the reservation that He is only my people's beliefs and that the Holy Book is only stories written down from my people, it would be a lie. God is the God of everyone and this Book is His Word to all of us."

Cloud Dancing took a deep breath and a look of resignation passed over his face. "I have heard more lies from white men than there are blades of grass before our eyes. It honors me that you would speak the truth as you know it, so I will speak truth to you. I cannot stop you. Your government will let you come to us and help establish the church they want on our reservation whether I allow you to or not. They want our ways stamped out completely."

"I understand why you're worried, but I'm not coming to destroy. I won't preach against anything that's not in here," she said, as she held her Bible up.

Sully finally spoke. "You can go through the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Sister Ruth, if you're absolutely determined. You will have an even easier time of it if you join the mission that the reverend was associated with."

She shook her head. "I don't plan on it. People were never saved by force, and it appears that's what the mission is trying to do. A missionary's job or any Christian's job is simply to present what they know, and it's up to ones it's being presented to, to accept or reject the truth. They will not bring the love of God to anybody by building a church and forcing attendance and more likely they will breed hate instead."

Cloud Dancing could see that she was different from their current missionary, and he had a begrudging respect for the strength of her beliefs; she appeared to be the lesser of two evils. "If you can get approval through your government to work on the reservation, I will have no quarrel with you if you mean what you say about respecting the things that do not go against your holy book, and above all, if you do not force anyone into doing what they do not wish."

"You can count on it."

Cloud Dancing turned to walk back to the reservation with any further comments. Sully helped Sister Ruth back into the wagon.

"That didn't go so bad," Sister Ruth said, sounding pleased. "I don't know if he will love my being there, but we seemed to come to an understanding."

"You do know I can't actually go with you onto the reservation? I got into some trouble awhile back and the result was I'm barred from going there."

"Hmm," she said pensively. "We'll see about that."


	10. Chapter 10

Most women would have avoided going by the saloon at all, but Sister Ruth wasn't most women, and she didn't alter her path.

Hank was leaning against the doorway as if he had been waiting to ambush her, an impression that was confirmed when he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Can I help you, brother?"

"You and me are going to have ourselves a little chat," he said, pushing her through the swinging doors into the saloon. "No Kid Cole around to get in my way this time," he taunted.

The words cut. She couldn't pretend they didn't. Just being in the saloon again sent a sudden wave of pain sweeping over her as it brought back the bittersweet memory of her first real meeting with Kid Cole. She remembered how her heart had beaten faster over the gentlemanly protection he had shown, making her feel young and attractive again, and even then she had felt their lives beginning to intertwine.

Coming back to reality when she smelled the strong stench of cigar smoke, unbathed men, cheap liquor, and cheap perfume all rolled into one, she replied, "I've still got the Lord's protection, brother, but it seems like then you were trying to keep me out, not in. What's this all about?"

"Sit down and find out," he said, gesturing to a table in the corner.

Knowing if she didn't sit down she would probably be pushed down, she took a seat.

He used a hand to put two empty glasses on the table and the other to pour the whiskey from his bottle. The casual front he was showing belied the anger seething just below the surface. "I know I told you I don't normally serve women, but I feel like making an exception today." The amber liquid swished over the top as he pushed it toward her.

"Well, I still don't drink," she said, pushing the glass back. "No exceptions."

"There's nothing like a little whiskey to help cure you of your troubles," he said with a catlike smile, as he sat down with her. "You must be hurting right now. It'd help you before you could get to the bottom of the glass, Widow Cole."

For just a second, she could feel the temptation. How wonderful would it be to erase the pain even for a night, but there would be no joy in the morning. If anything, she would feel worse. "'Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine'," a verse she repeated more to herself than to Hank. "God's the only lasting cure. You didn't get me in here to talk about Kid Cole or to try to get me drunk, so what is it?"

Pushing his own glass away after draining it and letting the façade fall, he said, "We got enough filthy Indian lovers around here already."

"I thought that's what it might be about," she said, easing back into her chair. "Why should it worry you?"

"Because they're going straight to hell every last one of them, no matter what you do. Trying to give them our religion is like giving a bottle of fine wine to a dog, it's wasted and you desecrate it in the process. The only such thing as a good Indian is one that's rotting in hell."

Her eyes full of sorrow, she said, "They're not the only ones on the road to hell right now."

Flipping his hair back, and all too aware of who it was she meant, he said with humor, "Maybe I am, but it's a fun road to be on."

Sister Ruth set her Bible onto her lap, so that she could lean closer to Hank. "What puzzles me is that you've made it clear where you stand with God. If you're not one of the flock, why do you care if some of the lost lambs find their way back to the Shepherd?"

With deadly calm, he answered, "I'm just thinking of all the innocents they've murdered, women and children they've slaughtered and scalped, who would be repulsed at what you're trying to do. Didn't you almost find yourself in their number on one Thanksgiving? Well, even an old sinner like me can find time to execute some justice when I'm not busy enjoying my sins. No telling what might happen to you if you get in the way of some of that justice."

"You're not really enjoying being a slave to sin, leastways not in the times when it's quiet, and it's just you and God," she said matter of factly. "You think I can't see it, but I see your misery, brother."

He glared at her murderously in response. "If you weren't a woman, I'd drive my fist right into your nose for that comment."

"If I wasn't god-fearing, I might have already beat you to it for some of your earlier comments."

He let out a dry chuckle. "Not as holy as you claim, are you?"

"No one's holy but God." She looked him boldly in the eyes in a way that made Hank squirm and lose his amusement. It didn't help that the saloon had stilled to an eerie quiet to hear the conversation. "God's still calling your name patiently and lovingly, Hank Lawson, missing you something fierce, but one of these days, the calls are going to stop. You better find out what it is you're missing before then." She got up and escorted herself out before he could do a lot of reacting.

"Too many pigheaded women in this town," Hank grumbled, as he made his way back to the bar.

"Them evangelists is funny to listen to even for all their hell and brimstone preaching," one customer said with a chuckle.

"She sure gave Hank a run for his money. You have to give her that," his companion said, laughing with him.

"Shut up," Hank said with a snarl. "Another snicker out of any of you drunks and you'll find this glass bottle shattering down around your ears."


	11. Chapter 11

When Sister Ruth came out of the saloon, she was somewhat irritated that Hank had tried to intimidate her from her given task, but her heart ached for him too. There was nothing sadder to her than a person who didn't know the Lord. Hank hadn't seen the last of her during her stay and from the sound of things, Hank didn't intend to let it be the last time he saw her either though for entirely different reasons.

She reached her destination, the telegraph office.

"Sister Ruth, what can I do for you?" Horace said, standing up with a beam of welcome.

"I need you to send a message for me, Brother Horace, to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs," she answered, pulling out a slip of paper with a short message she had composed.

He read over the message. It was a request that she be allowed to work on the reservation. "You're sending this all the way up to Washington?"

"Some people like to work their way up, but I like to go straight to the top. I've already went to the Lord, so the commissioner is next on the totem pole," she said with a smile. "And as I hear Sully tell it, he might be a bit more friendly to the cause than the more local honcho."

Horace immediately began telegraphing the message. After he was finished and the payment had been received, he told her, "I just want you to know I think what you're doing with the Indians is great," he said with a defiancy and honesty in his expression that proved Hank and some of the others had already tried to tell him differently.

Sister Ruth threw her arms around Horace in gratitude. "Bless you, brother. You're the first person to tell me that. You have no idea what those words mean to me."

"Well, I ain't forgot what you did, helping me believe in the Lord's power to heal. Why shouldn't everyone experience God too, not only for what He can do for the body but what He can do for the soul?"

"Amen," she said, giving a slight thump on her Bible to punctuate it like a preacher slapping the pulpit to make a point.

The lady who had just walked in gave a jump at the noise.

"Sorry, sister," Ruth apologized. "I'll get on out of here now."

"I'll deliver the reply to you personally when it comes in," Horace promised.

sss

She had received a wire back that told her he had set her up a meeting for her with the District Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and Michaela was seeing her off at the depot.

"I wish you would have taken someone with you, Sister Ruth," she said with a frown of worry on her face. "Matthew would have been perfectly happy to go with you to Denver."

"I enjoy having a traveling buddy, but I don't need one. I've been on the road in some form or fashion since I was old enough to leave my momma's home. Besides, I'm bound to make some friends on the train."

The hiss of the steam and the cries of the porter reminded them that it was time for her to board.

Sister Ruth had an uneventful trip to Denver. She sat next to an elderly lady who shared all about her children and grandchildren, which wiled away the time, and when the woman nodded off for a nap, she spent the rest of the time praying for success. When she got to Denver, she got a coach to take her to the address she had been given.

The district supervisor's office was imposing with its dark, heavy furniture and prestigious finery. She didn't know what she expected to see. Maybe she'd thought to see a dream catcher or an arrowhead somewhere. Something to show that he had at least a small level of fondness for them, but there wasn't so much as a painting of an Indian in white man's clothing or otherwise.

"Have a seat, Mrs. Cole," directed the middle-aged man behind the desk by way of greeting. "I'm very busy, and I don't have all day."

She promptly took a seat in the high back chair. "You know what I'm here for?"

"I do. The commissioner told me. I have to tell you that it's already a mark against you that you went over my head to arrange this little meeting," he spoke even as he continued to write a letter.

"Would you have met with me if you knew I was connected with Sully or Dr. Quinn in any way, brother?"

"That's Mr. Hazen, madam, and your point is taken. I don't know if you know it, but we have a missionary there already, Mrs. Cole. His name is Henry Wray, I believe. Doing a good job from all I hear."

"So I've heard, and I'm not looking to boot him out of his position. I just want to work alongside him. The harvest is plenty and the workers are few."

"I don't know what you can do that isn't already being done, but you have my approval. I'm quite sure the heathens can use all the religion they can get. You really wasted train fare just to come all the way to ask. I would have given the same answer by telegraph wire."

"There's more."

He set down the pen and gave a sigh that said he was already losing patience before he even heard the question. "I assumed there was. Well?"

"Sully could be just the thing we need to help the Indians see the light of God's love."

"You mean he actually is going to help you change them?" he said, his face and voice full of doubt.

"He's already started helping me by teaching me how they think."

Lucien shook his head. "I don't want Sully anywhere near them. That would be nothing but trouble."

"Would you hinder the work of the Lord?"

From the glare she was given, she could seen that Lucien Hazen didn't care much about the work of the Lord, but he said, "I have more pressing matters to attend to, so I'm going to give consent on that too, but you're responsible for Mr. Sully. If he causes the least bit of trouble, if he so much as gives them a feather for their hair, you're both going to be banned from the reservation. I've made too much progress since he has been gone to go backwards."

"I don't know about that, but I'll agree to the condition," she said, standing up.

sss

Sully met Sister Ruth at the depot when she got back to Colorado Springs, to give her a ride back to the house. He helped her down the steps of the train.

Sister Ruth grinned at him and the first words out of her mouth were, "You're going with me to the reservation."

Sully was stunned at first and then he grinned back. "How in the world did you manage that? Lucien Hazen hates me with a passion."

"I didn't manage it; the Lord did, and I think Mr. Hazen was eager to get shed of me."

Sully chuckled as he helped her over to the wagon. He looked very happy at the news.

During the trip back to the house, Ruth glanced over at Sully. He was a good man she knew. He acted with more kindness, love, and courage than some Christians ever did. If he ever came to the Lord's side, he would be a force to behold. He was a conundrum though. He wasn't hostile toward God from what she could see, or at least he wasn't hostile toward those who had found Him. He didn't even seem to be altogether indifferent to God, but he had a wall around his heart that seemed to protect him against God as if he was afraid God was going to hurt him if He got in, and she was leery of pushing too hard with words for fear he would build that wall even higher.

Her hope was that he would begin to discover the Lord in the work that they were about to do together, the primary reason she wanted him at the reservation.

"_God moves in a mysterious way_  
_His wonders to perform,"_ she sang softly under her breath.

"What's that, Sister Ruth?" Sully asked, turning to look at her.

"One of my favorite hymns is all. I was just thinking that you and I are about to see some wonderful things happen because of God."

Sully was too polite to refute her, but his stance said he wasn't as sure.

Ruth only smiled and continued her song more loudly this time, "_He plants His footsteps in the sea_  
_And rides upon the storm._"


	12. Chapter 12

The reservation wasn't what Sister Ruth had been imagining. Log cabins met her eyes instead of tipis, along with a church that was half built, and of course, the Indians were all dressed in clothing you would expect to find on townsfolk as Cloud Dancing had been.

"I'm beginning to wish I didn't come with you to see this," Sully said. "So much change."

"Change can be sad," she agreed. "No reason in the world why these people can't live in tipis if they want or dress the way they want."

"So what's the plan for today?"

"I suppose we ought to introduce ourselves to the missionary and then I'll get to introducing myself to the people. I agree with the reverend that it's best to make friends first. You can pop into a church and get a revival going without too much trouble, because church people are used to it, but you can't just go popping into a reservation and expect peopled to get fired up for the Lord just as easily."

He nodded his approval. Then he pointed to a man over by the church. "That must be the missionary."

Henry Wray looked to about her age, late 60s or so. He was sawing on a board. He caught sight of her and Sully and rolled down his sleeves and went over to them. There was no joy of the Lord in his dour expression, but it could have been simply tiredness from all the hard work he was doing.

"We're here to help you with your mission, brother," she said. "I'm Sister Ruth."

He nodded to show it wasn't news to him. "I've heard the rumors in town, and I got a telegram from Mr. Hazen. I lost my wife a few years back, so the women are in desperate need of a good Christian woman to model themselves after. They're a rough group of people, but they're learning."

"I see you're working on the church," she said, gesturing to the unfinished building.

"I am. We're forced to hold services outside until the building gets done. I assume you'll be joining us for the service tomorrow."

"I will, and there's nothing wrong with that, brother. I've held many a revival meeting outside. God don't dwell in a temple made by human hands. Being out in God's creation is right nice too."

He gave her a look that hinted he may have thought she was speaking near blasphemy, but he didn't comment on it other than to say, "It'll be nice to be in a building just the same, especially when it rains."

"It will indeed, and it looks like it's going to be a fine building too."

"You look like you've had a long trip out here. Why don't you sit down for a spell and have a drink of water, and when I take a break, I'll introduce you to some of the people?"

"Alright," she agreed. "I wouldn't say no to a drink of water."

He turned to Sully. "Will you help me cut some of the boards? I could use another hand as it's not a craft the Indians can really help me with."

Sully looked to be on the verge of refusal, but then he gave a nod. Henry brought over a wooden stool for Sister Ruth and a tin cup of water. Ruth wasn't quite sure how their working relationship was going to turn out, but he did have some manners, and he appeared to be a hard worker.

Sister Ruth took a seat on the stool intent on doing a little people-watching during her short respite, while Sully and Henry went to cutting boards. She wasn't sitting there very long before 2 little girls came over, observing her with great curiosity.

After a little bit of staring, the oldest one got up the nerve to ask, "Are you Mr. Wray's wife?"

"Heavens, no. I'm Sister Ruth. I am going to be helping Mr. Wray though. What are your names?" she asked.

"My name is Wide Awake and this is my little sister Daughter of Earth."

"Now aren't those pretty names for pretty girls," she said with a friendly smile, setting her tin cup underneath the stool.

"These shoes pinch my feet," the younger girl confided, seeing that Sister Ruth looked to be a kind and sympathetic soul.

"Well, why don't you take them off for awhile?"

"Mr. Wray says we can't," Wide Awake said solemnly. "He says we have to get used to them because that's what we'll be wearing from now on. I miss going around in moccasins and my bare feet."

"I don't blame you. Mr. Wray seems to be nice enough, but that's utter hogwash. A girl should be able to take her shoes off when she feels like it. I think an old woman should be able to take her shoes off when she feels like it."

On that note, Sister Ruth drew up one of her legs and began to untie the laces while the girls giggled at the sight. Sister Ruth even pulled off her stockings when she had finished with her shoes and then she stood up, wiggling her toes, creating more laughter from the girls.

"It feels kind of nice to have the grass under my feet again I have to say. I ain't had my shoes off outside since I was a little girl in Virginia."

"Where's Virginia at?" asked Daughter of Earth.

"Many days from here, but not as many days as it used to be since they started laying down track for the trains." She noticed the girls tugging at the strings of their bonnets as if they were also dying to cast those off but didn't dare. "Can't you take off your bonnets neither?"

They shook their heads. "Not outside."

Sister Ruth sat back down and took off her hat. She pulled the pins that were holding her bun firmly in place and her hair went cascading down to her waist.

"You can touch it if you want," she said, noting their interest in her hair. "I've never had any little girls of my own, but one thing I know is how they like to play with hair."

They stepped forward at her invitation and put their hands in her hair, smoothing and brushing it for her with their fingers.

"Can we braid it?" asked Daughter of Earth.

"Have at it. It's not the finest colored hair you've ever seen, is it?" she asked with a chuckle. "I imagine if you'll dig around in there you'll find some gray hairs too."

"It is very pretty," responded Wide Awake as each girl, working on a side, braided. They also peered around at her face, having an excuse to get close enough now to study her eyes too.

"It's like a winter sky," said Daughter of Earth with great admiration.

"I've always been partial to warm brown eyes myself." A thought occurred to her after she said it that she was already forgetting just how brown Kid Cole's eyes were, but she shook the disheartening thought off and smiled, not wanting the girls to see her sadness.

"Sister Ruth, this is unacceptable!" Henry shouted while still a ways off apparently having just caught sight of the spectacle. His nostrils flared and his face turned a beet red as he stormed his way over to her. The little girls ceased their giggling and chatter and went running behind Sister Ruth to hide. "Are you trying to preach to them or join them?" he asked, continuing his rant when he had made it over.

"Why I'm just getting to know my new friends. Ain't you ever played with children before, brother?"

"I have, but this is not teaching them proper modesty! You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Show me in the Bible where it says we can't be in our bare feet or wear our hair down, and I know you've seen women and especially little girls with their hair down and with no shoes on."

"'Women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety' You are supposed to be a respectable, older woman and that calls for hair up and shoes on. It's scandalous seeing you like this. You are supposed to be setting yourself as an example."

"But how do you define modesty and respectable apparel? My grandmother, and I'm sure yours too, wouldn't have thought of being seen in public without a covering on her head. Modesty changes with the times to a certain point and what would scandalize us wouldn't scandalize younger people. These good people on the reservation think nothing of an older woman's hair hanging down or feet showing, and that's the point. Their definition of what modesty is is different, so I'm breaking no rules. And besides that, its plumb foolishness not to let little girls or boys run around barefooted."

He was still very red in the face. "Put your shoes and stockings on, madam, or I'll make it my mission to see you removed from here. It's very clear to me that I have yet another person to watch around here." He left to give her the privacy of putting them back on.

"Well, isn't he the hoity toity one," Sister Ruth muttered under her breath as she reached for her stockings, eliciting nervous giggles from the girls.


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh, Ma. Can't we just dress in our regular clothes? The Indians won't be dressed in Sunday clothes," Brian reasoned while he pulled his nice jacket on as if the jacket pained him.

"Don't be too sure about that," Sully answered, bouncing a happy Katie in his arms.

"I think you will survive," Michaela said.

"Thank ya'll again that you're coming with me to the worship service. I hope the reverend won't mind too much that I'm stealing you all away for a Sunday."

"He won't mind at all," Michaela said as she pinned her hat on. "After hearing about yesterday, I think you could use some friendly faces with you."

"Are you going to be speaking, Sister Ruth?" Brian asked.

"Mr. Wray doesn't strike me as the type to let a woman do any preaching in a worship service and even less so since I offended his delicate sensibilities. But that's okay. We all need to be spiritually fed, and I'm dying to hear what he preaches on."

"I'm eager to meet this missionary after hearing about yesterday," Michaela said. "I hope he won't be too offended that I'm wearing my hair down." The pat she gave to her hair communicated that she had made extra certain her hair was down.

"Naw, I don't reckon it will too much. You're still young enough to get away with it, and you won't have your shoes and stockings off at the same time. I got to admit I ain't never worn my hair down in out in front of people before, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it, and if it made those little girls happy it was worth it." She shook her head. "You should have heard that man carry on. You would've thought I didn't have any more clothing on than the day I was born to hear him. I should come to the service with my hair down just for meanness, but I won't. In fact, I'd be about tempted to come in one of them short, buckskin dresses. I probably would too if I didn't have so many knots and warts to cover up," she said with a laugh. "But there's no sense picking fights with the man. There'll be plenty of those as it is, I'm sure."

"But if I've got the man pegged right, he is going to be offended that you're a doctor," Sully told her as he opened the front door for them. "I got the impression that he likes women in their place."

"Well, that's definitely not anything new," Michaela said.

Sully handed Katie off to Brian as he helped the women into the wagon and then Katie went into Michaela's lap.

"I don't know if I gained any friends yesterday by being introduced around the reservation by him," Sister Ruth commented. "They don't appear to like him very much around there."

"They'll see you're different from Henry Wray soon enough," Sully said, "and I do appreciate that you're keeping your promise on not trying to eradicate their culture completely, although that wheel's done started rolling."

When they arrived at the reservation, the people were already mostly gathered. There were only a few stragglers, whose walk made them look like they were going to a death sentence rather than a worship service. Both Brian and Michaela looked at the reservation with sadness at the changes.

The service started out with familiar, old hymns. Sister Ruth and Henry Wray's voices were the most prominent, although Michaela and Brian certainly added their voices. It was to be expected though as the Indians couldn't have read any hymn books that could have been provided, and they were not familiar with the songs, but even if they had been, they were not happy about being there and probably would have pretended not to know the words.

Once the sermon got going, it was no wonder Cloud Dancing had been afraid of the children having nightmares. They probably already were from all the rounded eyes staring at Henry Wray. She just hoped the children's English wasn't too good yet, but their English was probably better than the adults'.

Henry's sermon built in fervor and anger and he ended the message with, "If you don't turn yourselves over to God, you will suffer eternal damnation. The hellfire will burn your body, your tongue and mouth will be swollen from a thirst that will never be quenched, and you will never know a moment's peace again. You will wail and gnash your teeth without ceasing. And don't think your idols can save you from it. They are but wood and stone. They do not see. They do not hear. But God sees and hears you. He knows your innermost thoughts. And he will cast you into the Lake of Fire if you do not turn."

The sermon ironically ended with the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Sister Ruth doubted Henry appreciated the irony after having just painted a God who seemed eager to cast them all in hellfire, but Sister Ruth appreciated the song choice as it was like a balm to her soul. "In His arms He'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there," stuck in her mind. The Lord promised solace in her grief. It was as if the line had been written just for her today.

Sister Ruth shook Henry's hand after the service was finished. "It was an interesting sermon, brother," she was able to say honestly. "And the hymn so appropriate."

He nodded and cast his eyes over the sea of retreating bodies. "I doubt it was appreciated by anyone else. It's nice to have folks who understand what you're preaching in the crowd. I have them rest on Sundays, so there's not much to be done today. You might as well go home and have your lunch, but I've decided that tomorrow you should start teaching the women what they need to know: the Bible and useful skills. Does that suit you, Sister Ruth?"

"It suits me fine, brother."

Cloud Dancing came over to them after they had left Henry. "As you can see," he directed at Ruth, "we already get a good dose of white man's religion. You still think we need to hear more?"

"I do. It's a bitter dose you're being given. I want to show the sweet side of it like the sweetness of that last song."

Cloud Dancing didn't look like he thought it could be done. "I will see you tomorrow then."

He gave greetings to the others, taking the time to comment on how fast Brian and Katie were growing like a good uncle should.

On the ride home, they spoke more of the sermon.

"He was even starting to unsettle me, and I know the Lord," Michaela said with a chuckle. "I think next Sunday I'll take Brian and Katie to hear Reverend Johnson's sermons."

"I love the gentle reminders the reverend gives of how we should be following after the Lord," Sister Ruth agreed. "His sermons always seem to give my spirit a lift without bashing me over the head with it. I'm afraid I'm of the bashing it over the head group."

"I like your sermons too, Sister Ruth," Michaela was quick to say. "They are a little more direct, but the love still shines through loud and clear. Henry Wray on the other hand seems to pepper his sermons with more fear and anger than anything else."

"Not the best tactics for drawing a body to the Lord, no." Sister Ruth saw Brian following the conversation closely, who though was getting older still needed a good example set. "But listen to us prattling on about Mr. Wray like a couple of gossipy hens. Maybe we should pick something else to talk about. He is speaking the Word of the Lord after all and that has got to count for something. Everyone's got their own way of preaching is all."

"You may be right," Michaela said. "It's not fair to compare preaching styles. Although I think it is fair to say that his way is not looking very effective. If the Indians on that reservation ever come at all by his sermon, it'll be through fear alone, and that's not a true turning, is it?"

"No, and I've always thought you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

Brian began doing an impression of Henry Wray. He pointed with a fierce look at a tree. "And you, oak, will be cast into the everlasting flames where you will burn without turning to ash if you not start producing fruit immediately."

The impression was so dead-on that none in the group could help their laughter. Even Katie laughed though she couldn't possibly understand.

Sister Ruth was the first one to catch a glimpse of the house when it came into sight.

"Oh God, have mercy," Sister Ruth said in a prayerful gasp, causing them all to look at it.

The windows on their house had all been shattered.


	14. Chapter 14

As soon as the wagon came to a stop, they all alighted quickly and almost at the same time. Sully pulled ahead them, in case there were still people lurking around the place. He held up a hand to tell them to stay on the porch while he checked inside the house.

"They're gone," he reported when he came back out. "Nothing else looks to have been broken. Just the windows."

"Well, I can't stay here," Sister Ruth said adamantly. "I'm going to go in and get my things and find somewhere else to stay."

"No, you're not," said Sully and Michaela simultaneously.

"I am. I'm bringing trouble down on your heads after you were so kind as to open your home to me, and it's not right."

"It's just broken glass," Sully said.

"But your beautiful door. You don't see glass like that everyday out west. I know it will hardly make up for it, but I'm going to pay for it."

"Don't worry about it, Sister Ruth. The important thing is that no one was hurt," Michaela said rationally, though it was plain to see she was upset over it. "It's not the first time we've had windows broken because of angry people."

"Well, it's the first time you've had broken windows because of me, and it may be only a matter of time before it's more than destruction of property. You would never forgive me if something happened to Katie or Brian but more than that I would never forgive myself."

"Nothing's going to happen to Brian or Katie. I won't let it," Sully said.

"Has anyone made any threats against you?" Michaela asked.

"Well, no one has seemed real thrilled with me lately, which I don't know why. The reservation has a missionary there already. Mrs. Lewis made her feelings known loud and clear, I believe that's her name, but I've met so many people traveling like I have, I can't be too sure. She's a tall, older woman, reedy-looking, kind of looks like she's sucking on a lemon."

"That would be Mrs. Lewis," Michaela agreed.

I don't see her doing this as ill-tempered as she might be," Ruth continued. "Let's see. There was also Hank. He pulled me into the saloon and tried to warn me off, even said something about not getting in the way of justice as I recall."

Both Sully and Michaela's tempers flared against Hank.

"I should have known," Michaela said in a tone that implied she was getting ready to go into town and give Hank an earful this very minute.

"You should have said something, Sister Ruth," Sully said.

"Well, no real harm came from the confrontation, and I kind of thought he was mostly talk, and if he tried anything at all, that it would be against me, not you all." Sister Ruth said, wringing her hands.

"I'm going to go have a talk with Hank while I get something to cover up the windows," Sully said, emphasizing the I and looking at Michaela with a look that told her to calm down. "The rifle is in its usual spot if you need it while I'm gone."

"Just hold on a minute," Sister Ruth said. "I'd appreciate it if you'd take me into town with you. It won't take me but the shake of a lamb's tail to grab my stuff."

"You can't think we're going to let you go off by yourself when somebody obviously means business," Michaela said. "What kind of friends would we be?"

"Sensible ones," Sister Ruth retorted.

"I think I have a solution," Sully said. "What if we got the sheriff to come stay to help keep an eye on the place until the trouble settles down, would you stay with us then?"

"You two just don't give up, do you?" Sister Ruth gave a sigh. "Okay, you got yourself a deal. If you can get a sheriff on the property, I'll stay for the time being."

They all watched Sully ride away and then Sister Ruth said, "Well, there's no sense wasting any time. I'll sweep up the glass."

"I can sweep up the glass if you'll watch Katie," Michaela said.

"No, at the very least let me do this much. It'd make me feel a little better and when I get the downstairs cleaned up, you can put her down and get supper going while I work on the upstairs."

Michaela agreed to it and sat down, holding onto a wriggling Katie who wanted onto the floor but couldn't because of the glass. Brian was holding onto the dustpan, so Sister Ruth wouldn't have to do a lot of stooping and when the dustpan got full he went outside and emptied the glass in the trash pit.

"I just can't apologize enough," Sister Ruth said while she worked. "I feel so selfish staying on here even if your sheriff does come to keep an eye on the place."

"You shouldn't feel that way," Michaela said. "You're not the one who broke the windows, and you had to stand up for what you believe in. If you don't, who will? I don't blame you for this a bit, and you can bet Sully and I are on your side 100 percent, mission or no mission."

"That's a nice thing to say. I don't know what I ever did for the Lord to give me such good friends as you and Sully, but I thank Him for it every night."

sss

"Watch out. Angry man with a tomahawk coming through," laughed Hank as Sully stormed into the saloon. When Sully got to the table where Hank sat with his feet propped up on the table, he asked with a grin. "Well, Sully, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Sully moved the table so that Hank's feet fell in the floor. "I think you know why I'm here. That conversation you had with Sister Ruth. She's under our roof and so she's under my protection, and your little scare tactics aren't going to work. Where were you this morning?"

"In church soaking up some religion," he answered with sarcasm, bringing on laughter from the people in the room at the thought of Hank in church.

"I'm not playing around. Are you starting up another club to terrorize elderly women now?"

"You think I would go after an old woman?" he queried with a smile.

"I think you would."

He shrugged and lit up a cigar. "I might if the circumstances were right, but I haven't yet."

As much as Sully would like to throw a punch at Hank, he had no proof he was behind the window situation. He looked out over the saloon crowd. "If I find out that any of you have anything to do with bothering my family or Sister Ruth, you can bet you'll be brought to justice."

He left on that note and went to find Daniel. He explained what had happened and what Sister Ruth had said about Hank. "She won't stay unless you come to help keep an eye on things, and I really wouldn't mind having another set of eyes around the place."

"You bet I will," Daniel agreed. "I'll sleep out in the barn, and for the time I'm not needed, I'll be conducting an investigation in town. We'll get to the bottom of this."

He helped Sully get the paper for the windows and then rode out to the house with him. Daniel examined the property thoroughly and then helped Sully cover the windows up, an all-day job.

That night Sister Ruth sat up unable to sleep again. She wrapped a shawl around her nightgown as the room was a little chillier at night without a window. Although she couldn't see Daniel with the greased paper over the window, she could hear him checking the premises periodically.

Sister Ruth had the feeling things were going to get worse before they got better. "Protect us, Lord, and them especially."


	15. Chapter 15

Sister Ruth and Sully showed up bright and early at the reservation Monday morning, and Henry came over to the wagon to greet them.

"I have my cabin arranged for you to start out with some quilting lessons. They know practically nothing about how to make a quilt. I'm going to borrow your interpreter to work on the church. The women in the group all speak English well enough, so you won't need him today."

"But there will be other differences that I might need help with," she argued.

"You're not here to learn about their ways; you're here to teach them our ways. They need to become like you, not the other way around, Sister Ruth." Though he spoke to Sister Ruth he was looking at Sully's buckskins with disdain in his expression.

Ruth gritted her teeth, but she didn't insist any further because in a room full of women it might have been just as well. There would be plenty of other times for Sully to work with her.

"You may go get settled in the cabin, and I'll make sure they're there directly," Henry told her.

She went into the small cabin. She briefly looked through the quilting supplies and set her Bible under her chair. Henry had brought in stools but had it arranged like a classroom. She took the stools and moved it into a circle. She thought it might make them more comfortable, and it was easier to talk to and assist them with the quilts if she could see everybody clearly. Quilting circles were called circles for a reason, but she wouldn't expect a man to know that.

It wasn't long before the women began to file into the room and sat down on the stools. 15 women came. One of the women looked like she was due any day now, perhaps overdue, and 2 of the women had to help her settle onto her stool.

The women didn't act flat-out rude, but they didn't look particularly pleased to see her either.

"In case, you don't remember, my name is Sister Ruth, and I'll be learning all your names, so bear with me. Well, we're here because Mr. Wray would like you to learn to make quilts among other things, but we'll begin with the quilts. We're going to start with a Nine Patch quilt. I'm certain you've all had experience sewing even if it's more with rawhide and sinew than thread and cotton, so I have a feeling you'll catch onto this quick, and we can move onto more complicated patterns."

There was stony silence.

"To tell you the truth, I've been on the road so much I haven't had a lot of experience quilting myself, but we'll get through this together." She pulled out the bag with bits of fabric. "We've been provided with some fabric. I haven't had much opportunity to sort through it all yet, but it looks like there are some beautiful pieces in there. You're welcome to select your own colors of course. We're each going to make a block and then we'll piece it together and have one big quilt. I'll pass the scraps around and you can pick the fabrics you like and then pass it on."

She handed it to the woman next to her and watched as it made its way around. The women didn't seem to be into picking anything out. They more often than not picked the fabric their fingers first fell on.

"You are not here to teach us to make your fancy blankets," spoke up a woman in her middle ages while the bag was still going around. "You are here to make us follow your god."

Some of the other woman nodded in agreement.

"I can't make you follow Him, and I don't intend to try. I can't speak for what Brother Henry thinks about it, but either you choose to follow Him or you don't, but it's my job to see you have the truth in front of you, so you can make that choice."

Sister Ruth knew she wasn't winning anybody over from all the sullen looks, and she continued, "I look at this experience together as a quilt of sorts. You have your skills and knowledge and I have mine. If we work together, I think it can be a good thing for all of us because we have things we can learn from each other. My true belief is that God is the thread that can bind us all together into a beautiful new pattern. Your colors and my colors are both works of art to be proud of. They're things our parents learned and passed onto us, but God is the common thread that holds people together. He has the ability to make us part of the same body or quilt while allowing us to keep our uniqueness intact."

"It doesn't change that you're the one doing all the teaching. Our ways are not getting taught to you or our children."

"No, but I've been learning some things from Sully. I want to learn, but Brother Henry or my government doesn't see why it's important to learn from each other yet, the value of it, but if it's something I can work to change, you can believe that I will. I know none of you are happy about learning to quilt. You have your own ways of making blankets, but it won't take away from what you already know, and I think you can take things like our quilts and make them your own. Quilts aren't only for warmth you know. They also tell stories, and they can tell your stories."

The women didn't look convinced, and she went on, "My first quilt that I made without my mother's help was called Jacob's Ladder. It's a story from the Bible."

Although the women didn't respond, Ruth could see a couple of interested faces, so she explained it. "The quilt block looks a bit like a ladder or some stairs. Moves diagonal and has lots of triangles. Anyway, this Jacob was a thief and a liar."

"What white man isn't," muttered one of the women under her breath, causing a few of the women to give small smiles.

"I don't know that Jacob was white, but yes he wasn't the first thief and liar, and he won't be the last. No man is good, but Jacob had stolen from his brother, who vowed to kill him for it, so he was on the run to his uncle's house. Before he got there, he had a dream one night. He saw a ladder between heaven and earth, and God's angels, beings who serve Him, were on the ladder going up and down. Jacob saw that God was at the top of the ladder, and God repeated the promise He had given to his father and his father's father, a promise that Jacob would have many offspring and that his offspring would bless all the families of the earth. That offspring was Jesus Christ." She reached under her chair and grabbed her Bible and turned to Genesis. This is what God told Jacob after that: 'And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave.'"

The women were confused by the thees and thous, but they understood the last part. "He was rewarded for lying and stealing," said one woman with a disapproving look.

"No, he was forgiven because God loves us all that much. We're His children, so He is able to love and bless us even when we don't deserve it."

Sister Ruth left it at that to give them some time to absorb some of those thoughts and focused on the quilting part of it. By the end of the day, the women didn't seem any more pleased with the quilting lesson than before, but they did seem slightly less cold to her if not to the teaching.

"How was your first lesson?" Henry asked when she came out of the cabin.

"It went fine, brother. We'll have a quilt together before you know it."

"Good. Hardly any of the women have quilts in their cabins. If they give you any trouble, you just let me know."

"There won't be any trouble," Sister Ruth said dismissively. "I worry a whole lot more about the folks in town than the folks out here."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Sully who had been putting away the tools came and joined them before she had a chance to answer. "Are you ready to go, Sister Ruth?"

"Am I ever. My fingers are as stiff as a board, but not too stiff to shovel some food into my mouth before falling into bed." Henry seemed to bristle at her referring to a bed, and she had to bite her lip to repress a smile. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Brother Henry."

He gave her a stiff nod before turning to his cabin, and Sully helped Sister Ruth into the wagon.

They hadn't left reservation land before Sister Ruth was bothered with mosquitoes. She slapped a mosquito on her hand. "I need to start bringing something to keep the mosquitoes away. Some tallow and hog's grease maybe or they're going to have themselves quite a feast."

"They never seem to care much about me," Sully said with a smile. "They eat Michaela alive too."

"I guess we're just sweeter," she said teasingly.

They suddenly heard the shouts of children. Sully pulled the reigns, and the two little girls Sister Ruth had befriended came running beside the wagon.

"Come, come Star Dancer is going to have her baby!" shouted Wide Awake.


	16. Chapter 16

"It's our aunt," Wide Awake explained further. "She's having bad trouble with her baby."

Sister Ruth hopped out. "You go get Dr. Mike. I'll do what I can," she said, although there was really no need to say it as he was already freeing the horse from the wagon, so he could ride back to the house more quickly.

Wide Awake led her to the right cabin where Cloud Dancing was waiting at the door. "It is not a man's place to be at the birthing in their tribe, and she probably wouldn't accept help from a Cheyenne medicine man anyway, but I made some tea to help with the pain."

Sister Ruth took it from him and carried it in with her into the cabin with Wide Awake trailing behind her. Daughter of Earth was in the cabin with her aunt.

Star Dancer knelt on the floor while in the throes of labor rather than lying down on a bed.

"Shouldn't you lay down?" This was one part she had never covered with Sully, their birthing customs.

Star Dancer shook her head, her hair sticking to her face and damp with sweat.

Sister Ruth was no doctor or midwife, but she knew that it was not normal to see as much blood as there was on her skirt and the floor.

Glancing back at the girls, she saw their eyes were big as they observed their aunt. "Go help Cloud Dancing find some more plants to help your aunt."

Sister Ruth didn't really think he could find anything else to help, but the girls didn't need to see all this. The girls seemed relieved to have something they could do for their aunt and rushed to find Cloud Dancing.

Sister Ruth helped Star Dancer drink the tea, no easy task for the woman at this point. It was clear she was growing weak from the blood loss. "Maybe I should lay down," she said at last in a thin voice. Sister Ruth helped her to the bed and then held her hand and did the only thing she knew to do for her at this point; she prayed.

"Dear Father God, help my sister deliver her baby. Ease her pain and bring Dr. Mike quickly, so that she can be your instrument of healing. We thank You for Your perfect timing, for allowing Sully and me to be here to help."

The prayer didn't stop the bleeding, but it did seem to soothe Star Dancer.

Michaela burst into the cabin after what seemed like forever, although it couldn't have been too terribly long. There wasn't much time for her to examine the woman as she was already about to deliver. "I see the head crowning. You'll be holding the baby in your arms with just a few more pushes."

It wasn't long before the cries of the baby filled the room. It sounded more like mewling than anything lusty, but at least the baby was alive.

Star Dancer didn't look so good however. Her skin was an unnatural shade. Michaela wrapped the baby up without cleaning him and gave him straight to his mother. "You have a son."

The woman lovingly studied the new infant.

Sister Ruth didn't need Michaela to tell her that this woman was dying. Even if there hadn't been so much blood. She had attended many deaths in her time because the families or the person themselves wanted one last attempt at healing or because the dying person wanted Jesus or their families wanted them to have Jesus, and a person learned to tell when death was imminent barring a miracle.

There was something about the dying that felt like a birth in reverse. Sometimes it was a birth into the threshold of heaven with loved ones awaiting the arrival and sometimes the threshold they crossed wasn't so nice.

Those she hated more than anything. She could feel the darkness in the room and when they breathed their last, there was no comfort the family could take from it, but usually when the darkness was that strong, there was no family around who truly cared. The last expressions of these particular dying people hinted they were witnessing something truly terrifying. She had even known a couple of people who spoke of some dark angel or demon waiting to take them, as if the demon was watching them from a corner of the room or sitting on the edge of their bed, waiting for when they could snatch their soul, but still they refused to trust in Jesus no matter what Sister Ruth told them. Those deaths were always hard to bear.

Sister Ruth brought a stool up to the bedside to sit down on, intending to pray some more, but her mind drifted off to the last death she had attended.

The coughs had been terrible. Deep, racking things that brought up blood and added to Sister Ruth's grief every time. His eyes had been bright and his cheeks flushed. He had grown so weak and thin over the last few months it couldn't help but fill a person full of sorrow just to look at him. She had always tried to stay positive though, giving him loving, encouraging smiles every time she wiped his brow, fed him broth, or carried a blood-splattered handkerchief away to exchange for a fresh one. She kept her tones bright and frequently prayed for him both out loud and silently.

The doctor had told her on his last visit that Kid Cole likely wouldn't make it through another night, one of those horrible nights that were filled with chills and night sweats and little sleep, and he had been right.

There was a heavy silence after the doctor left. Kid Cole had known he was dying before the doctor's confirmation. She didn't need to relay to him what the doctor had told her as she had walked him to the front door.

Kid Cole broke the silence first, looking over at the table where his gun rested. "I lived by the gun. I kind of always thought I'd die by it too even with this sickness of mine."

"It ain't too late. I can still shoot you," Sister Ruth deadpanned.

She instantly regretted making him laugh as it brought on a fit of coughing. She supported him until it was over and then laid him gently back on his pillow, her lips pressed tightly together the whole time.

"You don't have to clam up on me now you know. I'd be pretty disappointed if I had to spend my last time on earth without the sound of your endless chatter in my ear."

She shook her head but said with a smile, "You're unbelievable. You should be taking it easy and resting, not trying to pick a fight with your wife, you old fool."

"Now that's more like it. I don't want to be treated with no kid gloves. Besides, there'll be time enough for resting." He gazed at her tenderly. "Have I ever told you just how much I love you? I knew I was going to fall for you hard the moment I first saw you. I love you, Ruth."

She laid her forehead lightly on his shoulder so that he couldn't see her watery eyes, but he brought a trembling hand up to rest against the back of her head. "You don't have to be a rock all the time. If you want to cry, you go right on ahead, honey."

Sister Ruth let the first of many tears fall. "I love you, Kid. Don't leave me. God, don't let him leave me. Heal him from this awful disease."

"I know He answered your prayer once for my healing, but I think He's ready for me this time, Sister Ruth, and it's okay. I know I'm right with the Lord, and I'll be waiting for you. When it's your turn to walk through the pearly gates, I'll be right there waiting on you, and in the meantime, He'll still be with you."

She cried harder until another silence settled. This one was somehow easier to handle than the earlier one. She climbed next to him in the bed, being careful not to jostle it, and they simply held each other for the longest time.

"I see heaven opening up," Kid Cole said suddenly with awe in his voice and his hands lifted upward. "I see—" She didn't know what else he saw because his soul left his body in that moment, but the look of perfect peace and happiness still rested on his features.

She knew it was a gift from God that she had gotten to see Kid Cole glimpsing glory, but she wept hard over his lifeless body with gut-wrenching sobs, and she felt anger that God hadn't granted his healing after her many prayers and unwavering faith in His ability to do so. Even so, at the same time she could feel His comfort like a father casting his arms about a hurting child.

"Sister Ruth, are you okay?" Michaela asked, her voice breaking into the past.

She swallowed thickly, as she pushed the sad memory back into the recesses of her mind. "I'm fine."

Star Dancer had been watching Sister Ruth too. "I—I remember what you said earlier today. I know what my people believe, but I don't feel that praying to the rocks and trees and mountains does any good. They do not feel like my ancestors who hear and how I have tried to pray to them and believe in them, but I see the way you feel this God. You pray to Him like you know He is listening to you. Like He is in the room just waiting for us to talk to Him. I see the light and love in your eyes when you speak of and to Him. He seems so real when you do so."

"Sometime He feels much further away, but I know He hears me and is with me through it all."

"Would He hear an Apache woman too?"

Relief flooded on Sister Ruth's face. "He would."

"What do I do?"

"You have to know that a man or woman can never do enough good to earn a good afterlife. You have to admit to the wrongs you've done."

"I do."

"He died for you, Star Dancer. He loved you enough to come to earth and pay the price, so that your wrongs couldn't stand in the way of life that never ends, life that will be nothing but good because God is good. He was raised from the dead after 3 days because He was the Son of God. If you ask Jesus now to save you, to come to you, He will. Call His name, sister, and He will hear."

"I believe in You, God, and I need You. Forgive me, Jesus, come to me, save me," she pleaded. Her voice grew weaker and thinner by the second, but the power and strength of her plea was still evident and a change came over her. "I feel so clean," she said as tears of joy gathered in her eyes. "My people we are always washing to take away the bad spirits, but I never felt rid of them, but now I do. I do. Thank you, Jesus." She spoke to Him some more in soft Apache and then she looked at the baby boy in her arms. "Sister Ruth, make sure he knows about Jesus too, not Mr. Wray's Jesus, but the Jesus who loves and forgives and cleans."

Sister Ruth smoothed Star Dancer's damp, black hair back. "You know I will do everything in my power to see that happens."

She nodded too weak for more words. Her breathing became more ragged until she crossed over and ceased breathing altogether.

Michaela took the baby from her arms to clean him up while Sister Ruth began the task of cleaning up the body and the bed.


	17. Chapter 17

Sister Ruth had done a good job of cleaning up. The blanket and dress were fresh and the hair had been brushed and the skin washed. She'd even scrubbed a bit on the floor, but the stain had already begun to set and was still visible, so she'd covered it with a rug that had been in front of the small fireplace.

Michaela had been thoroughly examining the baby during this time, along with keeping a check on his heartbeat and breathing. "He appears to be perfectly healthy," she announced at last.

"Praise God," Sister Ruth said. She held her arms out to hold the baby, and Michaela complied.

"He's a sweet little fellow, ain't he?" Sister Ruth said as she gazed at him admiringly. "I didn't hear a peep out of him while you were looking him over. It's such a shame he's lost his momma."

"It never gets easier, losing a patient," said Michaela, looking at Star Dancer's body.

"I wouldn't expect it to. If you didn't care whether your patients lived or died, you wouldn't be much of a doctor, now would you?"

"I suppose not. It's just so frustrating when there's nothing to be done. She was bleeding from the inside, and she had already lost so much blood by the time I got here. There was just nothing I could do. Absolutely nothing."

"Would that we had a cure for all the ills of this old world, but then it wouldn't be this old world. It'd be heaven."

Michaela looked at her with a small smile though her expression was still heavy. "I suppose you have a point. Though a doctor can't help but hope that one day we'll be able to cure the body in every regard. There's been so much advancement in medicine lately, but it never seems to be enough."

"And if you had this cure, would you keep it to yourself? Would you not tell the Indians about it because you don't want to replace the medicine men that are such a part of their culture and because they flat out told you they wanted nothing to do with white man's medicine?"

"Well, no. I'd have to try and convince them. It would be crueler not to share it." A wide smile played across her lips this time. "I see, and that's what Jesus is, a cure for the soul."

"Amen, sister. He is that and more."

"I hadn't quite thought of it in those terms, but you're right, and I saw the comfort and hope that finding Jesus gave her, and well, I'm not too proud to say I was wrong. The Indians do need God."

Sister Ruth hugged her with her free arm. "We probably better get out there and see to it that her family knows what's happened."

When they stepped outside, Cloud Dancing, Wide Awake, Daughter of Earth, and Henry were waiting for news.

Michaela addressed Cloud Dancing, "She passed on. Did she have any family besides the girls?"

He gave a nod. "She had a grandfather. I will pass the news onto him and see that the children get to him."

Sister Ruth gave the baby over to Cloud Dancing.

Henry blew a sigh of frustration and disgust. "Well, there goes another one dying without knowing God, the stiff-necked people. She's standing before Him now with no excuse."

Sister Ruth turned to him sharply. "Have some compassion. That's no way to talk in front of her nieces, and it should cheer you to know that she accepted Christ right before she died."

Brother Henry looked at her as if he didn't quite believe her, and it certainly didn't seem to cheer him.

Sister Ruth asked Cloud Dancing, "The baby's father is dead too?"

He nodded. "His father was a white soldier. They were never married, but he said he planned to. I doubt he would have. I would not even be surprised if he had a wife somewhere, but whatever the case, he has no father. I only hope his parentage will not make things too difficult for him."

Sister Ruth had thought the baby's skin might have looked a little lighter than the others, but he still had dark fuzz on the top of his head and the brown eyes. Nothing to really hint that he had a white father, which was no doubt a blessing. As Cloud Dancing had said, he would likely have a rough enough time growing up on the reservation being half white without looking white too.

"He will obviously need milk," Michaela said. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"I know a Crow woman that could give him milk, but if she refuses I know of other ways of feeding the baby."

"Of course you do," Michaela said. "I guess we should hitch the horse back to the wagon and return home before Sully becomes too worried."

"I hitched your horse up. It is ready to go," Cloud Dancing informed them.

"Thank you," Michaela said warmly though wearily before heading for the wagon.

"Their great grandfather will welcome them?" Sister Ruth asked, looking at the girls, who were clinging to each other so pitifully that she wanted to take them home with her.

"They were living with their aunt because she was younger and she was teaching them things that girls need to know, but I am sure he will take them now."

Comforted by Cloud Dancing's confidence, she moved to catch up with Michaela.

sss

When Sister Ruth and Sully arrived at the reservation the next morning, Henry was in an argument with an elderly Indian man.

"She deserved a proper Christian burial!" Henry was shouting at him. "I will not have anyone on this reservation buried with your pagan customs whether they become Christians or not!"

The man stared placidly back, either not understanding his words or not caring to react to them.

Sully and Ruth joined them as quickly as possible.

"What's going on?" Sister Ruth asked.

"They buried her in the cover of night and all her things with it," Henry informed her, his face a bright shade of red.

"Well, that's hardly the end of the world, is it?" Sister Ruth asked, trying to understand where the anger was coming from. "It doesn't matter how she's buried, her soul is with God."

"Her dresses and blankets could have been given to another woman. They are wasteful and then they wonder why the government doesn't send supplies regularly."

"I think they picked up that little pagan custom, as you call it, from the smallpox and typhus blankets that the government is so fond of sharing with them," Sully responded. "They're afraid they'll get sick if they reuse items now."

"She died in childbirth. They couldn't possibly get sick from her things," Henry said.

"They don't know that, now do they?" Sully returned.

Henry could see Sully had him backed into a corner regarding that. "Well, anyway it's indecent to throw her in the ground with not so much as a prayer, and this man was her grandfather. Does he look upset to you? He's going about business as usual like he hardly even notices his granddaughter is gone. These people don't care for women, their own or anyone else's!" He saw the shock on Sister Ruth's face, and he added, "You may as well know the people that you're serving."

"They may not mourn as publically for women as they do for the men, particularly warriors," Sully said, "but that doesn't mean they're not mourning privately."

Sister Ruth gave a nod of agreement. "I'm wearing black because that's what our society tells us to do when we lose someone close to us, but whether or not I wear it, my heart hurts just the same. Their society tells them not to mourn publically for women, so they don't, but that don't mean he's not feeling it deeply. I don't know what's grieving you so, but you look as if you could use some time in prayer."

Henry stormed off to his cabin in response. She somehow had a feeling he wouldn't be communing with God, but she did hope it would at least give him some time to simmer down.

"I reckon I'll work on the church," Sully said. "The sooner that's done, the sooner I can be helping you instead of Henry."

"I believe I'll go check and see how the baby's doing before it's time for me to teach. You wouldn't happen to know where a Crow woman is, one with a baby of her own, would you?"

Sully pointed the cabin out to her before going to get started on the church.

She knocked on the door and a woman shouted something in Crow, but she figured from the tone it must be come in or something akin to it, so she went on in. A one-year-old sat playing on the floor, banging a dish. He paused to look up at Ruth with solemn brown eyes and then went back to banging. The Crow woman looked surprised to see her and suspicious; she held the newborn in her arms, who was not howling but making whimpering noises that indicated he was not happy and on the verge of harder crying. As if Sister Ruth would blame her for it, she said quickly, "He has already eat. He is just ready for sleep now. I was about to put him down."

"Can I hold him?" Sister Ruth asked.

The woman seemed reluctant to hand him over to her, but she did.

"Does he have a name yet?" she asked, rocking him gently.

"His grandfather name him Boy Born in Sorrow." Sister Ruth didn't particularly care for the name and her disapproval must have shown because she continued, "His name may change to Boy Living in Sorrow when he get older." She snorted as if she had said something very funny. "It fit him and it fit his mother's people because he and all the people of the plains have only begin to see sorrow."

"I hope not, I hope that they've only begun to see salvation."

She gave another snort to show what she thought of that. Sister Ruth ignored it and began to sing to the baby.

_"Jesus loves me, this I know_  
_For the Bible tells me so_  
_Little ones to Him belong_  
_They are weak, but He is strong_

_Yes, Jesus loves me  
Yes, Jesus loves me  
Yes, Jesus loves me  
The Bible tells me so_

_Jesus loves me, He who died_  
_Heaven's gate to open wide_  
_He will wash away my sin_  
_Let His little child come in_

_Yes, Jesus loves me  
Yes, Jesus loves me  
Yes, Jesus loves me  
The Bible tells me so_

_Jesus loves me, He will stay_  
_Close beside me all the way_  
_Then His little child will take  
Up to Heaven for His dear sake"_

The woman had stayed silent during the lullaby though she had watched and listened with a scowl. Now she spoke. "You hold Apache baby in your arms. He not need to know Jesus."

"It was his mother's wish that he would," Sister Ruth said softly. "She came to know Jesus before she died."

"You go to her when she worry about next life. Her ancestors will not forget that you send her to white man's heaven and not with them and they will punish you."

The baby had fallen asleep, and Sister Ruth passed him back to the Crow woman. "Thanks for the warning, but I think I've enough trouble with flesh and blood right now to worry about anything else, and thank you for letting me come in and hold him."

She muttered in Crow, letting Sister Ruth know she wouldn't have if she thought she had a choice.

She left the cabin to get ready for another quilting lesson. If the Crow woman was any indication, she was about to encounter so many freezing looks and words that yesterday would seem like a warm welcome.


	18. Chapter 18

Although the roof had yet to be started, Sully began to carve and shave wood away to make a cross for the top of the church. He was hoping he could give the cross an Indian flare without Henry noticing or complaining.

He was perhaps putting a little more vigor into shaping the wood than the project called for, but he was thinking back to the conversation that he and Michaela had had last night in bed.

"I wish you could have been there, Sully," Michaela told him as she adjusted the pillows. "It was sad, but Star Dancer wanted to know Jesus. If you could have seen the peace it gave her to come to Him, a peace and love and hope I haven't seen come to them from their gods, I think you'd know that Sister Ruth isn't so wrong about sharing the way of salvation with them."

"You agree with Sister Ruth then?"

"I think she's doing the right thing."

"I don't. She's miles better than Henry, but she's still trying to change them."

"In a way that's for their good, not in the ways that don't matter."

"Says who? God isn't going to do any more for them than their own gods and spirits have done. He's still going to let them be massacred, let them lose parents and children and spouses. Do you think God will suddenly be on their side and help them defeat their enemy like some modern day Israel?"

"I don't think that's what she's preaching to them. She knows it doesn't mean you'll have an easy life from here on out, but it does mean you'll have someone with you who loves and cares and can give you the courage to face life when it's not easy. This is a fallen world we're living in, but we have the promise of a better one waiting on us."

"You're starting to sound like Sister Ruth," Sully grumbled.

Michaela smiled. "That's high praise indeed."

Sully put out the lamp on his side and rolled over to face the wall to signal he was done talking about it.

She put a cool, comforting hand on his bare arm and said, "I think you know deep down that what she and others like her are saying is truth. You're simply running from God, but He has a way of catching up with us sooner or later."

She then put out her lamp and plunged them into darkness, a darkness that couldn't match the current turmoil he was having in his soul because of her last statement.

He tried to clear his mind and focus on his present task and surroundings. While he was working, he saw Henry come out of his cabin with wood and carving tools of his own and head away from the church and cabins. Sister Ruth went into Henry's cabin a minute or two after, and the women soon followed.

It wasn't too much later before the elderly man that Henry had been arguing came up to him. "I am Salmon's Head Rising. I am the great grandfather of Boy Born in Sorrow, Wide Awake, and Daughter of Earth. I wish for you and Sister Ruth to join me in my cabin," he said in Apache. He used sign talking along with his words, so that Sully could understand him.

"We will be there when her teaching is done," he signed back to him.

Satisfied, the man left, and Sully continued working on the cross.

Henry joined him by midday. "Sorry to be gone for so long, but I had to make a cross for her to at least mark where she lays." He looked at Sully's own cross. "A little decorative for my tastes, but it'll do. We need to get started on the shingles though."

"Agreed."

At the end of the day, Sully waited on Sister Ruth. "How was it?" he asked when everyone had gone back to their cabins and they were left standing alone.

"Miserable. Word's gotten around about Star Dancer accepting Christ and from the way they looked at me and behaved towards me, you'd think I'd murdered her. They didn't speak to me unless I spoke to them; they didn't look in my direction unless they absolutely had to."

"Change is never easy on anybody, and they've had more than their fair share. I'm sure you'll make some friends soon enough. In fact, the man arguing with Henry earlier today wants us both to meet with him. He's the great grandfather of the children."

"Well, I wonder what he could want."

"There's one way to find out. He doesn't seem to speak any English or he won't use it. I don't know which, but I'll act as an interpreter."

Ruth followed him to the cabin. Sully knocked and was told to come in.

They quickly saw that the girls were nowhere to be seen, and despite the furniture in the cabin, Salmon's Head Rising sat on a blanket on the floor, playing a flute.

Sully shot a glance at Sister Ruth as if he were alarmed by the flute playing.

Sister Ruth didn't see why Sully should care if he played the instrument. "He plays that thing real nice, don't he? Tell him the music sounds very pretty."

Sully translated, and Salmon's Head Rising put the flute down and gestured for them to sit. They joined him on the floor, and he spoke to Sully, but he was looking at Ruth.

"He wants to thank you for your kindness to his grandchildren and for acting on his people's behalf today. He said the girls speak highly of you."

"Tell him it was nothing and that all of his grandchildren are just as sweet as they can be."

After Sully gave the reply, Salmon's Head Rising said something else that included the English words 'Camp Grant'.

"He lost all 4 of his wives at the Camp Grant massacre."

"How terrible and sad," Sister Ruth sympathized. "Hard to believe he had 4 wives at once. I can't imagine how that could work out. He must be either very patient or very foolish. Don't tell him that last part. And why would he tell me that? I guess he's concerned the girls are going to be without womanly influence now. Tell him I'd be glad to do what I can for them. I'll visit them before the quilting lessons."

Sully translated, and Salmon's Head Rising said something back in a lot less time than Sister Ruth had taken.

"He wishes to take you as a bride. That's what all the flute business is about."

Sister Ruth's eyes widened, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words, but not wanting to hurt Salmon's Head Rising's feelings, she said quickly but firmly. "Tell him I'm honored, but it just wouldn't work out. We're too different."

"I think he finds you interesting because you are so different," Sully said. "It's not a part of their culture to do a lot of talking and even less so for a woman to do a lot of talking. I think he was probably drawn by your confrontation with Henry."

"Well, help me undraw him. Tell him I'm a widow. Tell him in our culture it's disrespectful to even consider courting before a year's up."

Sully told Salmon's Head Rising, but he didn't look disturbed by the news and passed on another message.

"He said he's willing to wait."

"Oh, mercy," Sister Ruth said. Sully started to lift his hands. "Don't you translate that. Tell him thank you, but I just don't see myself getting remarried."

Salmon's Head Rising gave a nod to her after Sully translated, as if he weren't concerned by her refusal at all.

Sully stood up. "Ka dish day." He helped Sister Ruth up. "I do know Apache for good bye."

"Oh. That sounds easy enough to say." Turning to Salmon's Head Rising, she said, "Ka dish day."

"Ka dish day," he returned.

Once they were outside, Sully said, "At least you know now that you have one friend among the Indians."

She looked at him carefully. Though his features were schooled, there was an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes. "Your calm, polite exterior doesn't fool me one bit. You are enjoying this entirely too much. I just hope he was set straight."

"He don't strike me as the kind of man to give up easily. I think you'll be hearing a lot of flute playing in the future."

Sister Ruth gave him a cross glance that said she didn't find this a laughing matter.

"Speaking of suitors," Sully began.

"Which we weren't," Sister Ruth added.

"It looks like Henry's got his eye on you too."

Sister Ruth followed his line of vision and saw that Henry was undeniably staring in their direction. "Oh, for pity's sake. If he's staring at me, it's because he's watching for me to make a mistake so he can get me off the reservation. He's no schoolboy. Now if you're done with your tomfoolery, you could help me into the wagon."

Sully happily submitted to her request but was unable to hold his smile back any longer.


	19. Chapter 19

When Sully and Sister Ruth got home that evening, Michaela was stirring a pot of beans while Katie expelled energy by running haphazardly around on the floor and Brian worked on homework.

Katie ran to her pa first. He scooped her up and kissed her. Then, having already grown accustomed to Sister Ruth living in the house, she reached out her arms to go to Sister Ruth. He passed Katie off with a smile.

Sully hadn't mentioned anything else about her Apache suitor on the ride to the house, but he announced after he had saddled up behind Michaela and given her a kiss of greeting, "Don't be surprised if Sister Ruth wakes up to find a horse or two tethered in front of the house tomorrow morning,"

That was a courting custom that Sully had told her about during the lessons. The man would offer compensation to the girl's parents in the form of horses. "I most certainly will not. Will I?"

Turning to Sister Ruth, he said,"I think he knows that he has to court you differently, and Dr. Mike and I are hardly your parents. Even if he wanted to, I don't see him getting a pass to leave the reservation, so he can court a white woman, do you?"

"What's this all about?" Michaela asked with an amused smile as she began ladling out the soup beans.

"There's an Apache gentleman on the reservation that asked Sister Ruth to marry him," Sully told her.

Bright blooms burned on Sister Ruth's cheeks. "He's only interested in finding a woman to help him with the children. Not that I can blame him for that."

"If he was only interested in that, he would have asked a woman from the reservation. Didn't you see the way he was looking at you?"

Sister Ruth was rescued from having to respond to that by Daniel coming into the house.

"Now that you're home, Sully, I'm going to take off for a while."

"You don't want to stay and eat some supper?" Michaela asked. "Plenty to go around."

"No thanks. Got some things in town I need to look in to. I'll pick some supper up there."

"You any closer to figuring out who broke our windows?" Sully asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I found a couple good men willing to come out here in shifts though to give me more time to look into things, but it's starting to look like the window breaker or breakers know better than to show their faces around here again anytime soon. From what I have found out, there's a lot of people who are unhappy with Sister Ruth's new work, but that's hardly enough to go on." He tipped his hat to the ladies and said his goodbyes before leaving to do some more delving.

sss

They arrived at the reservation a little earlier than they had been the next day because Sister Ruth wanted time to visit with the children before the quilting and before the girls had to go to school. As Sully helped her down, he asked. "I didn't ask you what was in the package. Some quilting materials?"

"No, I baked some cookies for the girls," she explained, as they started walking toward Salmon's Head Rising's cabin. "I don't think they get a whole lot of sweets on the reservation. That's the handy thing about not always sleeping too good is that I've got plenty of time on my hand at night."

"You know to an Apache, the gift of food to them or their family is the same as accepting a proposal of marriage."

"Oh, heavens. I didn't know that. What am I going to do with the cookies?" Then she looked at him suspiciously. "Are you pulling my leg?"

"I am," he agreed with a smile. "But do be careful. If you don't intend to even consider accepting, you shouldn't spend a lot of extra time with them. It may give him the wrong idea."

"I know what you're saying. I'm just afraid the girls are missing their aunt and could use a little cheering up. It won't become a habit."

They stopped in front of Salmon's Head Rising's cabin.

"I haven't had much of a chance to visit with Cloud Dancing," Sully said. "Would you be alright if I left you and talked with him before Brother Henry wants to get started on the church?"

"Yeah, you go on. We'll be fine. We'll make ourselves understood well enough and the girls'll be there to help translate."

Wide Awake and Daughter of Earth both were there to answer the door, and they looked delighted to see her and their delightedness changed to excitement when she told them she had brought cookies, although it was a reserved excitement. Salmon's Head Dancing gave her a smile of thanks from his seat on the floor.

She took the package over to the table and pulled out a molasses cookie for each girl while she rambled on to him about how she'd made them and how wonderful the children were.

He watched her as if her were soaking up every word she said. She had a bad habit that the more nervous she got, the more she talked even though she knew he didn't understand a word she was saying, but rather than being turned off by it, he seemed to grow more interested in her by the second. He at last gestured toward a chair and she gladly took it, happy she didn't have to sit on the floor again and glad that she had an excuse for shutting her mouth.

The girls were beaming at her as they shyly and cautiously climbed into her lap. They had only taken a couple of nibbles on their cookies, as they seemed intent on savoring each bite.

Salmon's Head Rising told them something that she knew amounted to telling them to get off her lap, but she held up a hand and shook her head to signal she didn't mind. He again smiled at her.

As the girls ate their cookies and snuggled against her, she couldn't pretend the thought of being a grandmother to these girls and the baby didn't appeal to her. But it would be wrong for her to marry him just for that, though she knew people had married for lesser reasons.

She got nervous again when she noticed with the intensity that he was watching her. "Um, I have to go now. Got some quilting things to do." She helped the girls off her lap. "Good bye. Ka Dish Day," she said, hoping she had recalled the words right. As she left the cabin, she nearly stumbled into Henry.

"We need to talk, Sister Ruth," Henry said grimly.

He all but dragged her away from the buildings where there would be no one to hear their conversation.

"What were you doing in that man's cabin alone?" Henry demanded.

"I was hardly alone," she said, breaking free from the grasp he still had on one of her wrists and tugging her sleeve down in an effort to smooth the wrinkles his grip had created. "His great granddaughters were there if you must know, and I'm no young girl that needs your chaperoning, Mr. Wray."

"I know you're a widow and that gives you a certain respectability and freedom in matters like this, but there's a limit."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sister Ruth asked, not liking the direction this conversation seemed to be going.

"You've been seen entering the saloon before and don't think speculation about that isn't flying around now that you're the town's favorite topic of discussion. Now you've been seen entering the cabin of an unmarried man that is not your kin. What do you think people are going to say about that?"

Sister Ruth folded her arms. "I don't know. What are people going to say?"

"It doesn't take much to get gossip started you know that. Sometime it doesn't take nothing all. But it's clear that folks are going to get the idea that you're a daughter of sin and for an Indian man no less."

Her hand struck his cheek. "I'm heartily sorry for that, Brother Henry," she apologized immediately afterwards. "My hand was going out before I could stop myself, but that comment was utterly uncalled for and there's plenty of women that would have slapped you before that."

A hand over his stinging cheek, he said. "Possibly I should have mentioned first that I'm willing to save your reputation before such an accusation starts."

Sister Ruth was flabbergasted. "You call me a scarlet lady with one breath and offer me a proposal with the next breath. Are you plumb out of your mind?"

"I am doing you a favor," he said between clenched teeth.

"So you can play St. Henry, the martyr? Good old Henry sacrificed himself for the Indians and now going to be Hosea and marry a fallen woman. You'll forgive me if I'm not charmed enough to accept."

"I have sacrificed for the cause! More than you know. I had a pretty comfortable, happy life back east."

Sully and Cloud Dancing had witnessed Sister Ruth slapping Henry's cheek from afar and had made it over to them by then. "Are you okay, Sister Ruth?" Sully asked.

"I was just looking for a couple of gentleman to escort me to my teaching unless Brother Henry would like to find a more wholesome woman to lead the group."

He shook his head, his lips forming a thin, white line.

"Then we'll be going now," she announced. Sully walked on one side and Cloud Dancing walked on the other.

Once Henry was out of hearing, Sister Ruth said, "I'll probably get myself kicked off the reservation yet."

"Easy enough to do," Sully said with a smile.

"With rude, bull-headed men like that around, it sure is." She suddenly let out a laugh.

Sully and Cloud Dancing both looked at her with confusion.

"I was just thinking my momma must be celebrating on the other side. She was convinced I would die a lonely old maid. I was an oddity even among the God-fearing community I grew up in or maybe especially in my God-fearing community. The boys weren't exactly lining up at the door. Now not only was I happily married for a few years, but I've gotten 2 marriage proposals in 2 days, however misguided their reasoning is."

"I was kidding you about Henry the other day, but I guess I might not have been so far off after all," Sully said. Then he asked in an interested tone, "Your ma would have approved of you marrying an Indian?"

She chuckled. "Not while she was alive surely, but I believe folks lose their blinders in heaven. She hated when I came out west. Couldn't understand that it's where I knew God was calling me to go. Thought I was going to get myself scalped or worse. Course I don't think she'd approved of me marrying a gun-toting drifter neither, redeemed or not. She had her heart set on me marrying a farmer. She was a good, Christian lady. She just worried about me is all like any good mother would."

"Well, your ma couldn't complain about a lack of suitors now that's for sure," Sully said.


	20. Chapter 20

Sister Ruth and the Indian women had finally finished the Nine Patch and were ready to start a new one. It had taken longer to get the quilt done than she had anticipated, and she wondered if they hadn't purposely made so many mistakes with the stitching.

"We'll be starting on the making of a Log Cabin tomorrow," she told them at the end of Thursday.

One of the women guffawed. "We have already made log cabins. What do you think this is that we're in, a tipi?"

There were a fair amount of soft chuckles in response.

Keeping her patience, though she knew the woman was goading her rather than truly misunderstanding what she'd said, she answered, "It's the name of a pattern. The way it's pieced together resembles a log cabin though it's still easy enough to do." The women had sobered and didn't look excited about starting a new quilt. "Well, the good Lord willing, I'll see you ladies tomorrow."

They filed out without so much as a wave or a glance in her direction. Tomorrow was Friday. She didn't expected conversions overnight or even in a week's time, but she had hoped the women would be friendlier by now.

Once outside, Sister Ruth looked in the direction of the church and saw that part of the roof was on. "It looks like you and Brother Henry are making some real progress with the church," she told the waiting Sully.

"Yeah, it should be ready not this Sunday, but by the next."

Brother Henry was nowhere to be seen. He appeared to be avoiding her since yesterday, which suited her just fine at the moment.

Over supper that evening, Michaela asked Sister Ruth, "Are going to the dance tomorrow night?"

"I ain't been to a dance in a month of Sundays. Kid Cole wasn't much for dancing and I never hardly got invited to them when I was working as a healer. Why I'd say it's probably been 10 years at least since I been to one. I don't know if I'd know my left foot from my right foot."

"All the more why you should go," Michaela insisted.

"And there'll be food," Brian added cheerfully.

"Well, after the week I've had I could use a little fun, but who's going to watch Katie if you and Sully and Brian are going?"

"Grace and Robert E. are," Michaela said. "Grace doesn't feel up to going to the dance, so she offered to watch her."

"I need to drop in on them soon and do a little visiting. I hear Grace is expecting."

"Yes, she and Robert E. have been through such a rough time lately. Well, it seems the whole town has really. It's some very good news. Grace thought she couldn't conceive. That's part of the reason why they adopted Anthony. It just couldn't have happened at a better time for them."

"And they say God don't do miracles anymore," Sister Ruth said with a shake of her head. "That's quite a blessing. Well, I don't really have an excuse not to go then, so I guess I will."

sss

After they got into town Friday evening and after dropping Katie off, there was still some light to be had but another few minutes would bring complete darkness.

There was a fiddler and 2 guitarists playing for the dance, all 3 sounded very skilled. Sister Ruth liked that the dance was being held outside in the fresh air. She wondered if she could convince Henry that they should hold a dance like this at the reservation. She would have to remember to suggest it to him.

Brian headed straight for the spread of food much to the amusement of the adults.

"I don't think he'll have as much time for eating as he hopes," Sully said, referring to a girl Brian's age who was already heading in his direction.

"No, I don't think so," Michaela agreed with a laugh.

Sister Ruth, who was still taking in the surroundings, noticed that Henry was there. "I wouldn't have expected to see Brother Henry at one of these here dances." She motioned towards the man with her head. He was sitting at the farthest corner by himself looking out on the festivities with a dour expression.

"I wouldn't have either," Sully said. "I thought sure he'd be the type to preach that dancing or any kind of fun is a deadly sin."

"You can just picture him preaching on the evils of dancing, can't you? That's probably why he's here to make sure the unmarried couples don't dance too close. He's awful fond of seeking out sin in other people."

"Unfortunately, most people are. Should we grab something to eat first?" Michaela asked.

Sister Ruth wasn't fooled by the fact that they didn't want to abandon her. "You two go dance. Work up an appetite first. I can look after myself."

"We won't dance too long and then we'll get something to eat together," Michaela assured her.

"Be sure and save me a dance," Sully said.

She smiled in response and then watched as they made their way to the dancing space. They danced so gracefully together that it was a joy to behold.

After a minute or two, she turned her attention to Henry. Although she was still feeling cross with him, she had to deal with him sometime if things were going to work at the reservation. She took a deep breath. Love wasn't always about feelings; sometimes it was an action that required wanting the best for a person even when that person was completely infuriating, so she went over to him to try and have a nice conversation.

"Brother Henry, how nice to see you," she said with measured speech.

"God hates a liar," Henry returned.

Sister Ruth's nostrils flared. "You are just determined to be an ornery cuss." From the look he gave her, she knew she was in for another reprimand, so she beat him to the punch. "I know, I know, that ain't no way for a lady to talk, but you wanted the truth, so I'm giving it to you." She went to find a chair seated away from Henry before she said something that she truly regretted.

Once she settled onto a chair, she enjoyed watching the couples twirl and sweep to the music. During the livelier tunes, she kept time with her hands.

About 4 songs in, Loren came up to her. "No use sitting here while the young folks have all the fun," he said haltingly.

Sister Ruth knew it was most likely out of pity he was asking, but she did feel like dancing. "No, I don't guess there is."

Once out on the dance floor, he said. "I heard you had some trouble up at the house. Did you ever find out who did it?"

"No. Nothing stays quiet in a community of this size for very long, does it?" Sister Ruth commented.

"No," Loren agreed, "especially when Sully had to buy the paper from me and order new windows."

"Of course," she said. "Well, you were right when you warned me to watch out. I thank God that it was property and not a person hurt. Hopefully whoever it was got all their anger out."

"I wouldn't count on it. I just wanted to tell you that I admire you even though I still think what you're doing is dangerous and it'd be best to stop. I've always admired gumption in a lady and you've got plenty of it."

"Why thank you, brother."

The song changed from a slow waltz to a lively, old Scottish beat.

"I recognize this tune. It always makes me want to kick up my heels and do a jig."

"Why don't you do it?" Loren encouraged. "After all, this ain't a stuffy ballroom. This tune was made for a jig."

"I think I will," Sister Ruth said.

Loren backed up to give her some room. The people around them noticed what he was doing and they created a wide circle around her. Sister Ruth lifted the hem of her dress ever so slightly as she balled her hands against her sides with the fabric of her dress in hand. She wished that she could kick off her shoes because it would get Henry's dander up, a thought she repented of almost immediately, as she knew she ought not to provoke him. Another reason she wished to be rid of her shoes is that it would make the jig a whole lot easier to do if she was barefoot, but shoes with a long row of buttons weren't made to be kicked off, she would just have to do her best.

Her shoes pounded the ground with an occasional lift of her leg as she danced. It was not the most dignified of dances perhaps, but it was one of the most fun. She didn't do the jig more than a couple minutes as even the couple minutes wearied her, but there was light applause when she was done before the couples returned to dancing.

She plopped back over on her chair breathless and covered in a sheen of sweat, Loren on her heels. "I'll get you a glass of punch," he told her.

Still not quite having her breath back, she nodded and smiled instead. There was a man, who while gruff on the outside, had a heart of gold on the inside, she thought. She only wished she could say the same for Henry.

She cast her gaze toward Henry, and he was watching her disapprovingly like she figured he probably would be. She had no doubt it was more proof to him of her uncouthness, but she really didn't care.

Dorothy took a seat in the chair beside her. "That was some fine dancing."

"For a woman of my age you mean. I'll pay for it in the morning. It was probably foolish, but boy, did I enjoy it," she said with a laugh.

"I'll get straight down to what I come to ask. I was thinking you might like to do an article for the Gazette. I think a lot of unfair things are being said about you and the Indians and this could be a chance to help correct some of that thinking."

"I wouldn't say no—" Ruth began. Before she could say more to Dorothy, Horace suddenly charged through the bandstand, bringing the music to an abrupt stop. The dancing naturally stopped as well, and everyone's eyes turned to Horace.

"The reverend sat on his hat, so I went over to the church to fetch another one for him, and I saw something inside. It's—well—it's—uh," Horace stuttered.

"Just spit it out, Horace," Jake called out in annoyance.

"It's not something I should say in front of the children or ladies. I think you'd better come see it for yourselves."

Daniel was the first to make his way for the church and a crowd of interested people followed, and despite Horace's warning, a large number of them were women.


	21. Chapter 21

The pulpit and most of the pews had been knocked over, but it was nothing compared to the sight that greeted the viewer at the front of the church. The stained glass window behind the pulpit had been broken and there was a message on the wall in wet, painted letters that shined a brilliant red even with just a full moon for light because it contrasted so strongly with the whitewashed walls.

'Sister Ruth is an Indian's whore who is going to burn with the idol-worshiping savages,' read the first part of the message and then as if remembering they were in a church, they had added in smaller, neater letters a verse. 'No whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Chr'. The r was long and droopy as if the painter had been startled in the midst of painting it.

Sully and Michaela were standing on one side of Daniel and Sister Ruth was on the other at the front of the crowd, as they surveyed the scene.

"Must've heard Horace coming and had to leave in a hurry," Sully surmised as his eyes followed a trail of splattered paint on the floor.

"It certainly looks like our window breakers were here, and it must be a group because there's more than one window open. It's a wonder they didn't break all the windows, but I guess they didn't have time to get around to it," Daniel said, thinking out loud. The lacey white curtains were still fluttering from where windows had been left open during the escape. "Has anybody seen a group of people running around tonight?" he asked, addressing the people in the room.

"Of course we have. In case you haven't noticed, there's a dance going on outside," smarted off one of the men in the crowd.

Ignoring the comment, Daniel continued. "I'm going to see if they didn't leave more paint to follow outside, but I suggest everyone go back to the dance unless they have something more they can tell me." The crowd parted for Daniel as he made his way back to the door.

In spite of Daniel's suggestion, the crowd wasn't in too big a hurry to leave from the scene, as only a handful made their way back to the dance.

"I think we can rule out Hank as being the ring leader," Michaela said quietly to Sully and Ruth. "I don't think quoting Bible verses is exactly his style."

"No," Sister Ruth agreed. She knew a person whose style it was though and one that had reason not to like her. She looked toward Henry, who had been one of the ones to follow, and saw that there was a smug expression plastered on his face that screamed 'I told you so.' Even so, she couldn't imagine him doing this to a church, not to mention the fact that she could account for him being in the corner throughout the time they'd been there. She would leave the detective work to Daniel.

The reverend, who had been a little slower in getting to the church than the others, could hear the murmurings but couldn't catch everything that was going on. "Could someone tell me what happened?"

Jake, who was standing beside him, quietly read the message to him not quite daring to say the word whore in any kind of volume inside of a church.

The reverend was appalled. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Don't worry, Reverend. We'll have it whitewashed and the glass swept up for you before Sunday," one of the men said.

"I'm not as worried about that as I am about the attitude that caused this in the first place," the reverend replied.

"This woman's trouble. That's what caused it," said another man. "I say we run her out of town. Let her save the Indians somewhere else."

A number of men and women in the crowd assented to this opinion with nods and more murmurings.

"She is not!" Horace said loudly. "She's brought nothing but good to Colorado Springs. Why I remember I could barely walk before—"

"We're tired of hearing about your leg," Hank interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

"She as good as broke the window," said one woman. "Getting everybody angry over nothing. Leave the Indians alone I say. Let them have their idols as long as they keep to themselves."

"Amen," chimed in Mrs. Lewis.

"Sister Ruth did not break this window!" Michaela said angrily.

"But is she an Indian's whore?" Hank asked. "I think that's what is really on everybody's mind right now."

"Only on yours, Hank," Michaela returned.

Ignoring Michaela, Hank asked Sister Ruth. "You been keeping company with an Indian man?"

"Not the way you mean, but I have made friends with a fine Indian fellow, who's more of a gentleman than most of the men in here."

"Well, what do you say to that, Mayor Slicker? I've heard your opinion on the matter of an Indian messing around with one of our women. You going to run her out of town or not?"

"She stuck her hand in a hornet's nest for sure, but—" Jake was interrupted by the crowd's loud concurring remarks, making him virtually unheard.

"That's enough," the reverend shouted over the den of noise, bringing a quiet down again. "It would seem that somebody is going after the friends of Sister Ruth, and I'm proud to be counted as one of them and so should you. Sister Ruth, will you speak this Sunday? I think the congregation needs to hear more about the reservation and Christian charity."

"I think maybe I'd better," she agreed.

"If we're done with this mob meeting," Sully said, "I think we should do as Daniel said and get back to the dance."

Sully and Michaela stayed close by Ruth until the church was cleared out.

"Do you want to go home?" Sully asked.

"I ain't going to let them scare me," Sister Ruth said. "If I leave the dance now, they'll think I've got something to be ashamed about, and I don't."

"I agree," Michaela said.

Back at the dance, Sister Ruth saw Dorothy heading in her direction. "I almost forgot Dorothy wanted to talk about doing an article."

"We'll let you two talk then," Sully said.

He and Michaela went back out onto the dance floor, but they seemed more concentrated on talking than dancing this time around.

"That was absolutely ghastly," Dorothy said when she'd made it over to Sister Ruth. "I know I didn't say nothing back there, but you can believe I'll have a strongly worded editorial in tomorrow's edition of the Gazette."

"This is going in your paper?" Sister Ruth asked.

"Why it has to. People have a right to know what happened in their own church."

"I reckon they do. I'd just hate to see the message in print for obvious reasons but also because it may encourage the ones that did it, having their words have a sort of notoriety."

"That's a good point, but I'll be sure to be careful with the wording, and I just want you to know that I know what it's like to have feelings for an Indian man, and there's not a thing wrong with it. He's just a man the same as anybody else and what other people think about it don't really matter."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but I don't have feelings for the man in question. Not because I couldn't necessarily but because I don't know him well enough, and my husband would have to know the Lord if I was to consider remarriage, which I'm not sure I'm willing to yet."

"I understand. I want you to tell me in your own words what you're doing at the reservation," she said, pulling out a pencil and paper.

sss

Sister Ruth was already up when Michaela came down that morning to start breakfast.

"I hope you haven't been up all night," Michaela said.

"Nah, you know me, I'm up with the cows on the best of days. Beats me why because I don't do the kind of work that requires it, a lifetime of habit, I guess. No, I slept pretty good considering what happened at the church last night."

"It wasn't your fault," she said, sitting down across from her.

"Doesn't stop me from thinking about it. I made a little coffee if you want some, but I feel I must warn you that it's strong enough to peel wallpaper."

She smiled and shook her head to indicate her no before saying, "You know it might help get it off your mind if you talk about it. You look like you're worrying over it."

"Trying not to. I know God's got things under control, but I can't help wondering who's next. Are they going to go after Horace next because he's publicly supported me or Loren because he danced with me? I can't say it doesn't worry me just a little. I'm getting to be a pretty dangerous person to associate with."

"I never dreamed people could get so worked up about you teaching the Indians about God that they would desecrate their own church. Where's the rationale in that?"

"Well, I think the reverend was onto something when he said it was a message for him, but the devil and his demons get pretty unhappy when people are working for and coming to God because they know the power of God. I think they work to throw as many obstacles in our path as they can, but it doesn't take much to get people stirred up that lack God in their lives. They don't have His peace and love, so they're more predisposed to acting on their anger. They're misguided souls that I pray will soon witness what God will do for the Indians and what He can do for them as well if they give Him a chance."

"You're more patient than I am. I'd like to have them in front of me, so I can give them a piece of my mind before they're hauled off to spend a little time in jail. I especially feel that way every time I try to look outside from in here or walk through my door."

"They won't get away with their crimes forever, and Brother Daniel doesn't seem to be lacking in smarts. I'm sure he'll get it figured out soon enough. Will you pray with me about everything? 'For where two or three are gathered together in My name…'"

Michaela reached across the table and joined hands with her as they prayed for the people at the reservation, the people in the town, and the people who'd destroyed the windows to come to know God's truth.


	22. Chapter 22

Eager to read the Gazette, Sister Ruth and Sully stopped in town before heading out to the reservation. Sully waited in the wagon while she went to get a copy from Dorothy. On the way, she passed a couple of people and they either pretended she was invisible or muttered unkind statements about her at varying volumes. This town didn't need a paper to get the word around.

"Perfect timing," Dorothy remarked when she saw her enter. "It's fresh off the press. The ink's still wet, so be careful."

Sister Ruth swapped a coin for the paper.

"I hope I did it justice," Dorothy remarked.

"I'm sure you did. I'd stay and talk, but I have to get to the reservation," she said with a wave, and she hurried to the wagon, trying to avoid as many of the townsfolk as she could.

Sister Ruth read the article out loud as Sully drove.

"Last night, the town's festivities were interrupted by a shocking event. A person or persons had broken into the church sometime during or before the dance and vandalized it. The stained glass window was broken and a message and verse had been crudely painted onto the wall about Widow Ruth Cole. Sheriff Daniel Simon is working on finding the responsible party and wishes to assure the town that he sees no immediate danger. He does warn citizens to be on the alert for suspicious activity and let him know as soon as possible if anything seems out of the ordinary. One wonders about the depth of hatred in a man's heart that he would defile the house of the Lord and go after a respectable woman's reputation and if any of us are really safe. Sister Ruth has been at the reservation for a week now and has already brought a soul to the Lord and taught the women to make a 9 patch quilt. This paper intends to keep track of any news about the reservation to assure this town her actions are not only respectable but necessary."

"She did right well with that piece. She didn't repeat the message. The article may change people's minds about you, and it warns the people responsible that they're not going to get away with it so easy anymore. Hopefully, it'll scare them into stopping."

"I'm praying that's so. Here's a cheerful bit of news, Grace is going to be serving meatloaf at her café on Monday. As I remember, her meatloaf is right tasty. I believe I'm going to take a long lunch break that day."

Sully smiled in response.

Henry was waiting to waylay her when they arrived. He helped her down from the wagon with that same smug expression he had worn last night. Sully was quick to jump down and stand beside her protectively to warn him that there'd be no repeat of him dragging her off alone like the last time.

"Brother Henry, you look libel to bust out into a grin. I knew you'd want to talk about last night, so I reckon we might as well get this over with. Say what you got to say."

"I assure you what happened last night gives me no pleasure," he began.

"Your face says otherwise, but go on."

"I just don't know how the mission is going to succeed if you keep undermining it with if not your promiscuity than your lack of understanding when it comes to common decency."

"Listen, I know I may have hurt you when I turned down your proposal, but—"

He interrupted with a sneer. "I was just trying to do the decent thing. I wouldn't marry you now if you begged me, and you may just be doing that before it's over."

Her eyes widened. "Is that a threat, Brother Henry?"

"Take it anyway you like, Sister Ruth."

"Well, I know one thing. I'm not going to have anything more to do with helping build a church that's goal is to condemn and intimidate people," Sully said. "I came here to help Sister Ruth anyway, and that's what I'm going to do."

"You two are aware that I have to make a report to Superintendent Hazen periodically. I know he's waiting to hear how you two are working out. It would be such a shame if I had to give him bad news."

"Brother, the serpent in the garden wasn't as oily as you're trying to be right now. I could use Sully's help sure enough, and you don't have much left to do with the church anyway."

There was a short pause before he answered and then he said, "You can have him. As things stand, you could use a male chaperone."

He walked off before she could respond to that comment. "Ugh, I'd slap that man again if I thought it'd knock any sense into him."

"And I'd be right behind you."

"Well, it wasn't my finest moment, slapping him like I did, but that man could try the patience of Job."

"He could at that," Sully agreed, opening the cabin door for her.

The women were seated and waiting when they came in.

"I'm sure most of y'all already know Brother Sully, but if you don't, he's here to help us understand each other. He's lived among the Cheyenne and understands where both sides are coming from."

She was about to sit down when a glint of light made her catch sight of the small pile of beads on the seat of the stool.

"Where'd these come from?" she asked as she scooped them up into her hand.

"It is a gift from Salmon's Head Rising," one of the women answered, who made no effort to hide her disapproving expression and even sounded a little jealous, which could be as she was about the same age as her and Salmon's Head Rising, although maybe a few years younger.

Embarrassment must have shone on her face, but then an idea suddenly flashed into her head. There were just enough beads for every woman in the room to have one. "This is a gift meant for all of us," she said, as she started passing them out. "We can use them on our quilt. Of course, I've never heard of putting beads onto quilts, but that don't mean it can't be done, and I think we've got just enough to outline the cabin on the center piece."

"You think that putting beads on will make it not a white man's skill?" asked another of the women. "You are here to make us into shadows of yourself, so you might as well stop pretending like you're not. At least, Mr. Wray is honest about what he's doing."

Although the other women didn't speak up, it was clear by their expressions that they agreed.

"I think you ladies should know that she is taking a lot of condemnation and ridicule from her own people in order to not only teach you about quilts but to teach you about her god," Sully spoke up. "I think you owe it to her to at least listen respectfully, whether or not you decide to do anything with what she teaches you because I guarantee you if it's decided that she isn't doing a good job here, she will be replaced sooner or later, and I can also assure you that her replacement won't let you put beads on the quilt or treat you with the respect that you deserve. Sister Ruth is a friend of mine and a good woman, who is doing all that she is able with someone like Henry Wray and Superintendant Hazen in charge of most things to see that your way of life is preserved in most matters."

She could have imagined it, but she thought there might have been a few kinder looks shot her way after Sully's speech.

sss

Sunday was humid, and Sister Ruth hoped the beads of sweat that were bound to start pouring down her face wouldn't be mistaken for nervousness. Wearing black on a day like this didn't help either, but there wasn't much of a choice. She smiled to herself as she thought of the scandal that would be raised if she didn't wear her widow's weeds with the rumor of her having an Indian beau going around.

She climbed up the stair at the front of the church and turned to look out on the sea of faces. A number of regulars were missing from church, Mrs. Lewis chief among them, but she saw the smiling faces of Sully, Michaela, Brian, Horace, and the reverend. Even sweet, little Katie was smiling up at her. She felt blessed everyday by the supportive friends she had in Colorado Springs. Of course, there were plenty looking like they maybe wanted to stamp a scarlet letter on her person or ride her out on the rails. She also noticed a few in the crowd who looked like they were still on the fence about what to believe and a few who maybe weren't regular attendees but had come just for the drama of it all.

"First off, I thank you, brother, for turning over your pulpit to me for a short time."

He nodded in her direction from his seat on the corner of the front right pew, and she turned to the parishioners again. "I don't intend to speak too long but telling a minister of any sort not to take too long when they're sermonizing might be like turning a beagle loose in front of a pile of sausages and telling it not to eat the whole plateful."

There were some soft chuckles and a few grins that helped ease the tension in the room a little bit.

"I suppose I'd better get right into the heart of the matter. There are a number of people in this town who aren't too happy with my work at the reservation and that's certainly your right, but things are starting to get out of hand, as I'm sure you're all aware. This window behind me and the fresh whitewash is testament to that. I don't know if the party responsible for this mess is here or not, but I want to share with you the work that I'm doing and why I'm doing it anyway.

"I'm not afraid to tell you that I wasn't too happy with God when Kid Cole passed away. Working as a healer for all those years, I knew better than anybody of the Lord's ability to heal even when the situation looked hopeless, but the Lord's will shall be done. I can't lean on my own understanding because if we humans could grasp all of God's ways and thoughts, He wouldn't be God. We have to learn to trust Him in all things, including when someone's time comes. I was reminded of that recently and while there's breath left in this body I intend to go about the Lord's work because that is His will for me and all who abide in Him. I find this work is carrying me through my grief. When you're walking the path He's laid out for us, there's no better feeling. I feel like I'm getting closer to the Lord than ever. That's the beauty in tragedy. It can bring you even closer to Him if you let it because He is your comforter."

Her eyes closed and her right hand raised, she said, "How great is Thy love and patience and mercy in dealing with sinners such as we."

Opening her eyes, she continued addressing the church. "One of the young Indian women at the reservation came to the Lord and I believe that if most of you could have been there, you'd see why this work is so important. And if that's all that I ever accomplish at the reservation is helping that one soul find God then all this will have been worth it. It only takes one lamb coming home for all of heaven to rejoice because God doesn't care about numbers; he cares about individuals. He cares about you and me and them.

"Some folks really get into their religion, but they lack one thing that makes it all go. The Bible tells us that if we have the gift of prophecy, could understand all mysteries and had all knowledge, if we had the kind of faith that could remove mountains, but we didn't have love then what we have is nothing. You have to have love, brothers and sisters, because God is love. He loves all people, and the Indians at the reservations are people."

She took out her handkerchief and dabbed her face and neck. She wasn't the type who could stand still behind the pulpit when preaching with her heads neatly folded, which made the sweating worse. She had been pacing and throwing her hands upward toward heaven as if it helped connect her to God.

Returning her handkerchief to her pocket, she said, "And I'm not just talking about those of you who maybe are actively acting against me if not with blatant destruction than destruction wielded by the tongue or your attitude. As believers in Christ, it's not just my job and it's not just your reverend's job; it's all our job to see people everywhere know the news of salvation. James 4:17 says 'Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth _it_ not, to him it is sin.' If you're sitting in the pew today knowing that what's been done recently is wrong, but you're not taking a stand against it that's a sin, brothers and sisters. If you hear somebody tearing someone down with their words and say nothing, you might as well have been gossiping and criticizing with them.

"I think we need to make a stand today. If you're willing to say that my brothers and sisters at the reservation need to know about Jesus Christ too, I want you to come down the aisle. Take back the town and say we won't stand for the kind of hate that breaks windows and slanders our fellow believers. We will only share love."

She wasn't surprised to see Michaela with Katie in her arms, Sully, Brian, and Horace come down the aisle. For a second though, she thought they'd be it, but a couple somewhere in their 80s and an Hispanic woman made their way slowly down the aisle to stand with them and then that was it.

The reverend stood up. "You're absolutely right, Sister Ruth. I don't hear many footsteps joining us, but you are right, and I'm sorry to say that I haven't been very vocal lately about the need to share the gospel with every tongue and every nation, but that's going to change. I hear from Henry Wray at the reservation that the church will be ready next Sunday. I have just decided that we're going to join them and make a picnic of it. It's time we became true friends with all the people in the community or we'll never be able to show God's love. This is also another chance for the members of our church to make a stand."

Knowing he couldn't see the smile of appreciation on her face, she squeezed his hand instead as they switched places.


	23. Chapter 23

The reverend chose to expound on the message of love, ending with a reminder of the plans for next Sunday. Sister Ruth stayed after the service to talk to him. Michaela had brought along their Sunday lunch, and Sister Ruth had insisted they go ahead and find a shaded spot and start eating, and she'd join them when she got done.

After complimenting him on his sermon, she asked, "Does Brother Henry know of your plans for next Sunday?"

"No, but I don't see how he could disagree," he said, although now he seemed a little uncertain after hearing the tone in Ruth's voice when she'd asked. "I'll go out tomorrow and discuss it with him. Could you put in a good word for me?"

"At the moment, you'll have a better chance if I don't. I'll be with you when you tell him about it though to lend any support I can. You going first thing in the morning?"

"I plan to. I'd like to know if he's agreeable to it because I need to inform the congregation that the service and picnic are off if he's not. I probably should have waited until I found out for sure, but I guess I got caught up in the excitement. Things aren't going so well at the reservation then?"

"Not with Brother Henry, no. It's a long story, but I'm sure we'll work it out between us."

"If you think you need a mediator, let me know."

"I certainly will. It'll be nice to have a friendly face around the reservation that truly believes in the mission."

"I'm just sorry it took until now. I should have been in this from the beginning. I'm no friend if I misguide them into thinking it only matters what your own people believe, and that's what I was doing. I've been blind in more ways than one."

"I don't know, Reverend. Sometimes you see more clearly than anyone I know. In fact, I think your spiritual vision grows sharper every time I see you, and there ain't nothing wrong with growing in the Lord. That's what we're supposed to be doing."

He chuckled. "That's a nice way of saying I make a lot of mistakes."

"No. There's some folks that just won't learn from their mistakes and you're not one of them. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow or there may not be anything left for me to eat. If you're sharing a basket with a 13-year-old boy, you can't be too careful."

He laughed. "That's all too true. See you tomorrow."

As Sister Ruth came off the steps outside, she heard rustling from behind her. She quickly turned around with a startled expression until she saw that it was only a girl, one of the girls from the saloon by the looks of her dress. She had been creeping up from the side of the building. "You scared me," she told her, putting a hand over her chest as if the action could help slow her rapidly beating heart. She'd thought for a second that it might have been the window breakers. "What are you doing skulking around out here like some kind of panther?"

"Sorry about that. I was outside listening to the service. I heard that you were going to speak, and since I have Sunday mornings off anyway, I wanted to hear what you had to say. I stayed through Reverend Johnson's sermon because I wanted a chance to maybe talk with you."

"You should have come on in, Miss…"

"Just call me Helen. If you think there weren't many in church today, you haven't seen what it would be like if they let someone like me into the church, and I don't intend to make church a habit anyway."

"I see. Well, what did you think?"

"For what it's worth, I think what you're doing is really fine, and if you can think of a way that I can help you, I will. I can only think of one at the moment. A person hears a lot in a saloon. Nothing makes loose lips like liquor. I promise that if I hear anything that could even hint at the persons responsible for the damage at the church, I'll be sure to let the sheriff and you know about it as soon as I can."

"That would be very helpful. Thank you. Can I ask why you're doing this though?"

"My grandmother was a Hopi Indian. She didn't really practice any kind of Indian ways or anything being married to my white miner grandfather, but she used to tell me stories of her people when I was little, and I guess it maybe gave me a feeling of kinship to them even if I've never met another Hopi besides her."

Sister Ruth was surprised be the information because it didn't show in the girl's pale skin, blue eyes, and auburn hair, but now that she had mentioned it she could see some Indian traits in her facial structure. "Does Hank know?"

She let out a dry laugh. "Have you met Hank? It would be one way to get out of my contract if I wanted to, but I'm not sure I'd get out in one piece."

She gave a nod. "His hatred for Indians does seem to run deep."

"That's a mild way of putting it."

"Do you know the Lord?" Sister Ruth asked.

Helen looked at her with a look of incredibility. "You do know what I do for a living, don't you?"

She smiled. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know. It doesn't mean you can't know the Lord."

She shook her head. "I don't, and before you go thinking I need saved from this life that I'm living, I wasn't forced or tricked into it or anything like that. I went into this profession with my eyes wide open. I won't do this forever, of course, but for now, it suits me." They had been walking very slowly toward town, but they were about to come to the first building. "We'd better separate if they haven't already seen us walking together," she said. "It won't do any good for restoring your reputation if you're seen being bosom buddies with a real honest to goodness whore."

"Oh, honey, I don't care. People are going to think what people are going to think, and I don't intend to offend God for their good opinion of me."

Helen gave her another incredulous look. "Offend God?

"Jesus came not for the righteous but the unrighteous. He was frequently found in the company of Samaritans, who were kind of the Indians of that day, tax collectors, and prostitutes. How can I do less than my Lord? And not only that, you seem like a nice enough person."

"You're not like any religious person I've ever met," she said, her eyebrows furrowed in the act of trying to make sense of her. "Not many would walk into a saloon or keep company with sinners, especially religious people of the female variety. At least, that's been my experience."

"Not every religious person truly has Jesus in their life or they may not be being the representative they're called to be. You like what you're doing then?"

"It's a job. It's got its hard days," she said with a shrug. "Like any work would, I assume. I do want to find real love one day. I could hear how much you miss your husband in your voice. I don't know how you bear up through it."

"One day at a time and with the good Lord by my side. Since he died, I find some days are easy and other days the grief feels so tight in my chest, I don't think I can draw a breath. I wish I could see his face clearly because it seems like with each day that passes, it gets a little harder. That's one of things that hurts me the most. I just wish I'd had a photograph taken or a picture painted. Just something to remember exactly what he looked like."

They both sensed that a third person had joined them and turned to look. Hank was walking behind them.

"You're not trying to evangelize my girls now, are you, Sister Ruth? Because it's bad for business when saloon girls go getting religion. Heck, it's bad for business when anybody goes getting religion, but you're crazy if you think you're going to make church-going ladies out of my girls."

"Maybe I am a little crazy," Sister Ruth agreed. "If not wanting to see people separated from God for all eternity is crazy."

"I don't know if hell will be so bad; it couldn't be much hotter than this," he said with a smirk as he wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Well, I'd really like you not to find out, brother. You and Helen want to come have some lunch? I just have to track Sully and Dr. Mike down first."

"No, we don't," Hank returned with a look that wondered at the kind of woman that would invite one of the town's leading sinners and one of his prostitutes on a Sunday picnic.

"Well, I'll be seeing you then. I'll stop by the saloon one day, Helen, and we can have ourselves some more conversation because I sure enjoyed talking with you."

"My saloon is not a tearoom," Hank said before grabbing Helen by the arm and walking away, mumbling language not fit for Sunday or any day of the week for that matter.


	24. Chapter 24

Sister Ruth had been watching for the reverend while Sully visited with Cloud Dancing, She went to meet him when she saw him coming. "Hello, Reverend. He's working on the church. I'll lead you over to him."

"Thank you, Sister Ruth. Is he in a good mood?"

"I don't know that I've ever seen that man in a good mood, but I've been praying that God would soften his heart to the idea."

"I have been too," he said. "I think this could be the start of a great friendship between the two churches, and when more start coming to the Lord, we can be of service to them because new churches with new Christians need the support of more mature Christians."

She chuckled. "You don't have to convince me. It's Brother Henry you'll have to convince."

Henry saw them coming and climbed down from the roof to greet them.

"Reverend Johnson," Henry said, "you didn't have to come all the way to the reservation. I would have come into town."

"I'm blind, Henry," he said with a good-humored smile. "There's nothing wrong with my legs, and I like to get a little fresh air. There's nothing to worry about; I've walked between the church and reservation enough times to know the path well."

"Of course, what can I do for you?"

"I remember how you told me the church will be ready by next Sunday. Is that still true?"

He looked toward the church. "I've lost my help, but I still look to have it completed this week. I'd be surprised if it didn't get done."

"That's wonderful news. If you're agreeable to it, I was thinking of joining you as a church. You'd still be the one preaching."

Sister Ruth could see that Henry's chest seemed to inflate and he threw his shoulders back. "I'd be honored if you and your church came to listen to my humble preaching, Reverend."

"I'm going to have my congregation bring dishes for a picnic after the service. We always seem to have an overabundance of food at our own picnics, so I'm sure there'll be enough for everybody, but I was thinking if your church made some of their traditional dishes that it'd be really nice."

"A picnic?" Henry asked, as if he hadn't heard him the first time.

"A picnic," the reverend echoed in confirmation.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. The Indians have become more civil since I've been here, but they're still a savage lot at heart, and I don't think they're ready to mix with good Christian company."

Sister Ruth felt heat rising off her face in anger. If he had no real love for the people he served, why was he here? She was about to ask him as much, but the reverend, who had managed to keep a grip on his temper, was the first to reply to Henry. "Then all the more reason for them to have some Christian fellowship. Instruction has its place, but sometimes people need living examples, seeing what following Christ does for a person with their own eyes. It'll probably make your job easier in the long run."

Henry eyes were focused on the horizon as he thought over what the reverend said. At last, he said, "People need to eat I suppose. We'll see how it goes, but don't blame me if thing go south."

"You handled that beautifully, Reverend," Sister Ruth said, after Henry was gone from hearing. "Sometimes I'm lacking in tact, but it's not a quality you lack."

"I think we all lack tact every now and then. Remember if you think you need anything, I'm only too glad to help."

"I'll remember."

She walked him back to the path and Sully met up with her on her way to the cabin.

"Did you convince him?" he asked.

"The reverend did. It looks like we'll be having ourselves a picnic after all."

This time the women were not only waiting for them in the cabin when they went in, but they were busy stitching.

"I'm happy to see you all have gotten started without me. Thank you for that."

Some of the women gave nods in response.

"I have a bit of happy news to report. The church in town will be joining us Sunday for the service and for a picnic," she continued, as she took a seat on the stool.

"What is a picnic?" one of the women asked.

"When you eat outside with a group of people, and usually at a church picnic there's some games involved too. They'll be bringing lots to eat, but I thought ya'll might like to know now to give you some time to think of what you might like to bring to it."

The women weren't as enthused as she hoped, but maybe they were just good at hiding it.

"And these white people are going to eat with us?" asked one of the women as if she couldn't quite bring herself to believe it.

"They are. I think it'll be a fun day." She wanted to add even with Brother Henry's preaching, but bit her tongue just in time.

The woman kind of humphed in a way that said she'd believe it when she saw it.

At lunch, Sully and Ruth went into town for some of Grace's meatloaf like they'd planned.

While they waited at one of the tables, Sister Ruth asked. "I know you've only seen me with the women for a short time, but have you seen any progress in their attitudes towards me?"

"I have. The fact they started working on the quilts when they didn't have to says a lot. I think you'll make friends with them yet."

"The Lord is beginning to move in the hearts at the reservation and the hearts in Colorado Springs. I can feel it."

"Is it the Lord or is it a very determined woman?" Sully asked with a smile.

"The Lord," she said with surety. "But I'm glad he's allowing me to play a part in making it happen."

Grace, who looked to be in good spirits and growing bigger around the middle, came over to the table, smiling wide. "Sully, Sister Ruth, how good to see you here."

Sister Ruth stood up to hug Grace. "I didn't get a chance hardly to do anything but to wave hi and bye Friday night. You feeling better?"

Placing a hand over her rounded front, she answered, "Feeling fine. The baby's getting stronger everyday. I still can't believe after almost 5 years of marriage, God's finally answered our prayers."

"Has it already been that long? I declare it seems like only yesterday I attended your wedding. Where does the time go?"

"I often wonder the same thing." She looked downward and grew momentarily sad, as a tear formed in the corner of her eye. "It won't take Anthony's place."

"Of course it won't, but he or she will bring the love of a child into your life again, and that's something to be thankful for."

"Yeah, it is. I want you to know that whenever I hear anybody talking against you in my café, I kick them right on out of here, so you have a safe place here anytime you want to come."

"That's mighty kind of you, and I appreciate the show of support, but you don't have to do that," Sister Ruth said.

She perched her hands on her hips. "I most certainly do. I ain't going to turn my back on you and neither is Robert E. You didn't turn your back on us when you didn't even know us. And I don't aim to put up with no hatred and downright meanness when I can do something about it. I've seen too much of it in my life as it is. In fact, I want to do more to support you. Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't think they're getting enough to eat. It's not that they're starving. That's one thing I can say about Brother Henry, it looks like he's making sure they stay fed as well as he can with the government's meager supplies and the bit the mission probably chips in, but the food isn't exactly plentiful either from what I've seen. Their portions seem to be small and plain. I think if you had some fruit and vegetables to spare they could really use it."

"I'd be happy to donate some food," she said, looking genuinely delighted. "I've been looking for a way that I can serve God to thank Him for this baby and this is it, but what can I get ya'll to eat? Sully's going to starve to death if don't stop our blathering. You got your choice between meatloaf and stew. The meatloaf comes with greens and mashed potatoes today."

"Don't stop on account of me, but I wouldn't mind some meatloaf," Sully said.

"Make that two meatloafs," Sister Ruth said with a grin and 2 fingers in the air.

After the meal, they started their walk back to the reservation.

"I'm glad it was a cool enough day to walk. That was a good and hearty meal, but I think I think I ate too much," Sister Ruth said.

"There's certainly a danger of that with Grace's cooking."

Horace suddenly came tearing out of the telegraph office and caught up with them. "Sister Ruth, I have a message for Mr. Wray. I know he likes to get messages from the superintendent just as soon as he can, and since you and Sully are heading out there, you could take it to him. I trust you not to read it."

She gave a nod, "Surely, brother." When Horace was gone, she asked Sully, "I wonder what it could be about."

"Hard to say."

"You think maybe he's done gone and reported us and this is the reply?"

"If he has, nobody can say we didn't give this a good try."

"They ain't going to be rid of me that easy if that's so. I'll just find another way. Mercy, it's tempting to read it. I guess I'll be praying for patience all the way back to the reservation to keep from it."

Sister Ruth quickly handed it over to Henry the moment they got back to the reservation.

"It's a message from Superintendant Hazen," Henry informed them unnecessarily. His eyes flickered back and forth as he read the message. "There's a new change he wants implemented."

"Well, what is it?" Sister Ruth asked, having reached the end of her patience on the matter awhile back.

"It was really a long time coming, and it won't be the first reservation to do so. Their names are to be changed to good Christian names."

On the one hand, they were relieved that it wasn't about their termination, but on the other, it was one more way to dishonor the Indians' culture.

"Is that really necessary, Brother Henry? Can't you telegraph him back and try to talk him out of it?"

"Names are very important to them," Sully added. "They often receive more than one name in their lifetime and the name always has a lot meaning to them in a way that our names don't."

"Well, then it won't be so difficult for them to get new names if they're used to changing them anyway," he said without an ounce of sympathy.


	25. Chapter 25

Henry followed Sully and Sister Ruth to the cabin where he announced to the women, "Before you send your children to school tomorrow morning, you will all come out in front of the church where you will receive proper names."

Henry didn't wait for their comments or input and was gone with the announcement, talking of the indignity broke out among the women.

"Is it not enough that we must give up our languages? Now we must give up our very names?"

"When will they leave us be?"

"When we're all dead and gone."

"I'm getting tired of these quilt makings and all the rest."

"Ladies," Sully said, bringing a hush. "I know how difficult this is for you, but at the moment, there's nothing to be done. The last thing we need is for Henry to see the least bit of disobedience and lose the good standing we have right now because that'll mean soldiers again, getting moved to other reservations, and who knows what else. Best we continue with the quilt because Henry will pass by here again on his way to the church when he's finished, and he'll want to see quiet, industrious working."

There were grumbles, but they knew Sully was right. They picked up their needles and thimbles again.

sss

When Sully and Sister Ruth arrived the next morning, the people were waiting. The women and girls were lined up in one line and the men and boys in another. Some of the children seemed interested in the prospect of getting a new name but mostly there was a cloud of resentment.

Going over to stand with Henry, Sister Ruth asked dryly, "How does one go about renaming a whole group of people?"

"I have made a list of names from the Bible in accordance with the number of men and women we have on the reservation. I'll simply go down the list. It should take no time at all, and you can get to quilting."

"The least you could do is let them pick their own names. Assigning them names like cattle, it ain't right," Sully said.

"They'll resent it at first, whether they pick it out or not, but they'll get used to it soon enough," Henry replied.

"Is your name in the Bible, Henry?" Sister Ruth asked. "Last time I checked, it wasn't."

"That's different," Henry said stubbornly.

"How? It's a name that comes from your culture," Sister Ruth prodded. "How is it anymore blessed by God?"

"Have you heard some of their names?" Henry retorted. "Some of them are named after their gods. Sons or Daughters of such and such. It's an abomination."

"Sister Ruth, Sister Ruth!" came the cries of Wide Awake and Daughter of Earth, having spotted her. They went running up to either side of her and slipped their small hands into hers. They squeezed her hands tighter, trying to draw strength and security from her when they saw Brother Henry looking down at them with a none too friendly look.

"Should you be holding their hands considering their grandfather wants you to be their grandmother?" Henry asked. "I think his gift was extremely inappropriate, by the way, and you should have given it back."

She saw the woman who she suspected had feelings for Salmon's Head Rising, Chicken Hawk Singing, watching her and judging from the expression she wore, she could guess who it was that had told Brother Henry about the beads. Focusing her attention back on Henry, she said, "Whose hands I hold or what gifts I accept is really none of your business. It has nothing to do with you."

"It has plenty to do with me because I'm here to see that moral conduct prevails."

"Will you name us, Sister Ruth?" asked Wide Awake, breaking into the argument.

She looked at Henry. "Is that alright with you?"

Henry let out a puff of air in frustration. "Why not? It looks like you're determined to become one of them whether I have anything to say about it or not."

Ignoring the jab, she said to the girls, "Wide Awake, your name will be Deborah now because you already have the signs of a leader and courageousness, and you Daughter of Earth will be named Esther because you are a beautiful child on the outside but most importantly you are beautiful on the inside. Both of these women were a great help in delivering their people from the trouble inflicted on them by other groups of people."

Henry scratched the names off his list without comment and then started down the lines handing out names as randomly as he had promised. She tried to take note of their new names particularly the women in her group. Cloud Dancing became Joseph and Boy Born in Sorrow became Peter. It would probably be some time before she had them down pat though, as she was just beginning to get their Indian names down.

When Henry was finished, the skies seemed to open up. The clouds that had been threatening rain since yesterday finally released the rain, and it was a heavy, torrential downpour of the kind in which you had to keep your head down just to breathe. However, people still managed to shout that it was the anger and judgment of the gods, spirits, ancestors, and the like before dashing for shelter.

Sully and Sister Ruth had been running for Henry's cabin, but they saw that Salmon's Head Rising was in the doorway of his cabin motioning for them to come in since his cabin was closer.

Inside, Sister Ruth chuckled at the spectacle of themselves. "We all look like drowned rats."

The girls giggled and translated for their grandfather, who smiled and agreed.

"We better get you girls out of your wet clothes before you catch your death of colds," Sister Ruth said. She retrieved the girls' dry sets of clothes and then held up a blanket for the girls to change behind.

"We're only supposed to wear those on Sundays," warned Deborah.

Esther nodded her agreement. "Mr. Wray would be mad."

"Since you only own 2 dresses, I think it can be forgiven until your everyday dresses are dry," Sister Ruth assured them both.

They changed, and she draped the wet clothes over the chairs that she had dragged next to the fireplace. Then she stoked the fire to make sure the clothes dried well and warmed the adults who still had to wear their wet clothes colds or no colds. When she stood back up, she saw that Salmon's Head Rising was watching her with tenderness. Embarrassed, she realized she had been painting a scene of hearth and home in her well-meaning actions.

Wanting his attention on something besides her, she told Sully, "Tell him I'm sorrier than I can say about what happened this morning. Tell him if he wants me to keep calling him Salmon's Head Rising when Henry's not around to hear, I will."

Salmon's Head Rising had a long response in return and Sully translated. "He wants you to call him by the name Noah. He says times are changing and he fears that his people must change with it. One day Indian mothers will name their babies white names and act as white men by choice. He sees this as clearly as if his ancestors had revealed it to him. His name has changed with the seasons of his life and now he has entered a new season, so he accepts the new name though he accepts not all of white man's ways."

"Noah it is then," she said.

Noah spoke again.

"He knows the name is from your Holy Book," Sully said, "and he wants you to tell the story behind his new name."

Everyone took a seat to hear and using sign, Sully was able to keep up with Sister Ruth's storytelling as she spoke. "The people on the earth grew more and more wicked until God began to sorrow that He had made the human race, but there was one man named Noah, who found favor in God's eyes not because of perfection but because he still loved God and tried to follow God's ways. God told Noah that he would be sending a flood and to build an ark for his family and two of every kind of living animal would be on it as well. God sent rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and the earth was covered even to the mountaintops, but Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives, and the animals in the ark were all saved. God promised afterwards to never again send a flood that would wipe out all the life on the earth. As a reminder of this promise that would be for all the generation to come, He created the rainbow. He's kept His promise as He always will. He will never again destroy the earth by flood. When the day comes for the old world to be gone to make way for a new and better one, it will be destroyed by fire."

The present day Noah spoke and Sully told her, "He now wishes to share an Apache story with you."

Sister Ruth nodded to show her interest in hearing it and Sully gave words to his signing, "Long ago, there were other people on the earth. The Creator god told an old man and old woman that it would rain forty days and nights. The people were told to go to the tops of four mountains and not to look at the flood or sky, but the people didn't believe the old couple, and when the rains came few people made it to the mountain tops. Those who looked at the flood turned into a fish or frog and if they looked at the sky, they turned into a bird. The people sitting on the mountains were told, when they got hungry, to think of food, and the Creator would feed them. After 80 days, the Creator told the 24 people who were left to open their eyes and come down. These 24 people went into 24 mountains. Eight other people survived the flood, who were able to travel by looking where they wanted to go, and they were there. These people told the Apaches about the flood before going into two mountains themselves. The Creator told them to stay there until the world is destroyed. It is said that when the Apaches drop off in number, the surface of the earth will again be destroyed, this time by fire."

"Isn't that something?" she asked Sully. "Just like it's obvious that there's a connection with the Cheyenne creation story, it seems obvious to me there's a connection with the Apache flood story. Bits of truth that were able to be preserved through all these years. God is good."

"The similarities may be more than a coincidence, I admit," Sully agreed.

The downpour was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Noah went over and opened the door to study the damp world, his eyes searching for the rainbow. When he found it, he turned back around to speak.

"He is interested in hearing more about your God since He seems to share much in common with the Apache Creator god. He feels it may be like learning more about an old friend."

"Tell him I'd be delighted to come by every morning and teach him more."

Noah appeared to be equally delighted when Sully translated.

Chicken Hawk Singing had walked up to the open door, and she didn't look at all pleased to see Sister Ruth in the cabin. She started a heated argument with Noah that seemed to be about her. She heard him call her Anna, her new name, which only infuriated her further.

She and Sully slipped away, needing to start the quilting and hoping Chicken Hawk Singing would cool down with them gone.

"As bad as the renaming is, I believe God has brought good out of it anyhow what with another soul interested in learning more about God," Sister Ruth said to Sully on their walk to the cabin.

"I worry that he's not as interested in learning more about God as he is in learning more about you."

"That may be a possibility, but I can't say no. Telling others about God is what I came here to do. I have to take any opening I can."

Sully didn't argue with her, but his look said he hoped she knew what she was doing.


	26. Chapter 26

The girls were already gone to school, but Noah was sitting on the rug on the floor when they came the following morning. He gestured for Sully and Sister Ruth to join him on the rug, and they did, but Sister Ruth somehow found that Noah became uncomfortably close, as close as he could be without directly touching her.

"I don't want to offend him, but tell him I'll just sit over yonder," she said, her eyes looking toward the chair. "My bones can't take the floor."

"I don't know if I can translate yonder," Sully said, the amusement evident on his face. "And I don't think it's your bones you're worried about."

"How about over there. Can you translate that or are you in a mood to be contrary?" she said, smiling at his teasing but eager to get off the floor.

"I think I can do that," he said with an answering smile. After doing so, Noah nodded in understanding and once she was on the chair, he spoke.

"He wants to know if you're named after someone in your Holy Book," Sully said.

"Tell him I can read him the story of Ruth if he likes."

"He would like to hear it, but he'd prefer you to tell the story in your own words."

"I can certainly do that," she agreed and began, "Ruth came from a land and people that worshiped many gods. A family, who knew God, moved to this land when there was a famine in their own. The two sons took wives in this foreign land and one of them was Ruth. The father and sons died leaving only the women, and the mother, whose name was Naomi, decided to go back to her own land when she heard God had given them food again, and she told her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers, but Ruth refused to go. She said to her, 'Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.' Naomi saw that she would not be able to convince her to return. Naomi was bitter because of the loss of her family and thought the Lord wouldn't take care of her and was against her. When they reached Naomi's home, Ruth collected food for them because it was harvest. Boaz who was kin to Naomi saw Ruth and told her to glean only in his field. He had heard of her devotion to her mother-in-law and admired her for it. Boaz eventually married Ruth, and the Lord gave them a son, but Ruth did not forget Naomi. Naomi was reminded by her friends that God had blessed her through Ruth, who was better to her than many sons and would care for her in her old age."

Noah had been listening intently and spoke when he saw that she was finished.

"He says he believes you are aptly named. He senses that kind of loyalty and love in you."

"Tell him that's sweet of him to say so, but I hope he got more out of the story than just that."

Noah gave a nod and response when Sully translated.

"He says it was honorable that she took such good care of her dead husband's wife when she could have gone back to her mother and gotten another husband. He makes the same promise that Ruth made to Naomi. He will make your God, his God if you consent to be his wife."

Heat crept up her neck. "That's not what he was supposed to get from the story. Tell him I would like it if he took God for his own but not because of love for me but because of love for God. Ruth had come to know and trust the Lord for herself and not just because of Naomi. You can't follow God for someone else's sake; you have to do it for you."

He gave what she said some careful thought before signing back.

"He says that you show wisdom in what you say, and like yesterday, he is left wanting to learn more about God through your stories. He looks forward to the story tomorrow."

She said goodbye in Apache and he told her goodbye in English, proving he did at least know one word.

"What if you do win him over to God?" Sully asked, as they walked toward Henry's cabin. "Would you consider courting him then?"

"It's more than that standing between us. I mean what would we do? You going to move on in with us so we can talk to each other? I know the girls would be there to help with that, but I'd like to be able to send my husband down the road when he needs it without the need of a third party."

He laughed. Then sobered as he said, "Love is a language all of its own. It doesn't require the couple having the same language."

"No, but it certainly helps. You know Chicken Hawk Singing or Anna seems awful fond of him. Maybe it's time to try a little matchmaking, and it would mean she would be hearing the Bible stories too if I could arrange her being there in the mornings."

"I wouldn't meddle with that kind of thing too much," Sully warned.

"Who'd be meddling? If they just spend a little time together, things might happen naturally, and if they don't, they don't."

Sully looked like he wanted to say more, but they'd reached the cabin.

sss

Sister Ruth used her lunch break to visit the saloon. Michaela wasn't out on call during this town visit, and it hadn't taken much insistence on her part that Sully spend lunch alone with his wife. She thought Hank might be more willing to grant her request if she was by herself, and she trusted in God's protection.

"Blast it all, why do you keep coming into my saloon?" Hank asked in an exasperated tone when he caught sight of Sister Ruth. "I ain't coming back to the fold."

"Well, I didn't come to see you this time," Sister Ruth answered. "I'm here to see Helen."

"I should've known. Didn't I tell you to stay away from my girls? You're a bad influence on them."

"Let her stay, Hank, if she's as loose as they're saying she is, she'll fit right in with them," remarked one of the men.

"And at her age, she might teach them a thing or two," remarked another with a hearty laugh.

"I ain't dumb enough to believe that stuff," Hank said. "I know one when I see one, but if she's courting an Indian, she might as well be a whore."

"If ya'll are done with your crass talk, I'd like to talk to Helen," she said, looking towards the auburn-haired girl, who'd been watching the exchange.

"I don't know what's so hard to understand about only a certain kind of woman being allowed into the saloon," Hank asked. "Do I need to draw you a picture. If there's ever a Ladies' Night at the saloon again, you'll be the first one I notify, I swear, but you're going to ruin my business if you keep coming in here. People don't want the religious kind hanging around, putting a damper on their fun."

"Well, you can throw me out if you want, brother. I'll just come back when you're feeling more agreeable."

"I give up," Hank said, throwing his arms in the air. He knew the talk wasn't idle, and he'd just as soon get it over with instead of getting repeated visits. "But if you're going to take up Helen's time, you're going to pay for her the same as a man."

"If that's what it takes," Sister Ruth said, taking a coin out of the reticule in her pocket and handing it over. "Just be careful that these ill-gotten gains aren't costing you your soul."

"I knew you couldn't come in here without preaching at me," he said, although his tone had lightened considerably now that he had payment. "Helen, come take care of your customer before I decide the money's not worth it."

"As long as you're paying for my time, we can go to my room where we can talk privately," Helen said, taking her arm and leading her off. The men in the saloon had been watching as if the interruption of Sister Ruth had been provided for their entertainment, but he normal saloon sounds resumed once they were out of there.

"Are you comfortable in here?" Helen asked once they were in her room, looking at her as if she was likely to faint when it dawned on her what went on in this room.

"Sin don't have no special hold in this room," Sister Ruth answered, taking a seat on the bed. "My sin is just as ugly before His eyes as yours or anybody else's."

"I doubt that," she said, taking a seat beside her.

"It's true for all have come short of the glory of God. That's why we need Jesus. I'll leave you my Bible if you want to read about it. I can point out some good passages on the subject."

She shook her head. "I know you said you'd visit, but I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Well, I got a reason. I wanted to invite you to the picnic we're having at the reservation on Sunday after the service there."

"You shouldn't have spent your money just for that. I'm not worth it. And Hank can be dangerous, especially when he's had too much to drink."

"Of course you are and you're worth a whole heap more especially in God's eyes, and I've gone up against men worse than Hank. He ain't no peach, but he ain't half as mean as he'd like people to believe or he would've done tossed me out of here. Even when he aimed to when we first met he wasn't as rough with me as he could've been."

"Are you saying Hank's got hope?" Helen asked with raised eyebrows.

"He ain't ready for St. Peter to open the gate if that's what you mean. He's got his fair share of vices that he hasn't repented from, but until a body's 6 feet under, there's always hope they could find the Lord, and I pray he will everyday."

She couldn't stop her snort. "You pray for Hank everyday? Wouldn't he just love to hear that. Why do you do it?"

"I've found that when God places a burden on my heart, it's for a reason, and my heart aches for Hank to come to know Him. I don't know if I'll ever see the fruit of that prayer, but you'd be surprised what prayer from even one of His children can accomplish. The Lord uses His saints in mighty ways."

Helen didn't look as if she were buying it, especially where Hank was concerned, but she changed the subject back to the picnic. "If I did go, what could I bring?" she asked, chewing her lips nervously as she didn't exactly have access to a kitchen.

"Well, I know I've got me a hankering for some huckleberries. I've seen some growing but haven't had a chance to pick none myself. I don't believe the Indians got any growing on their reservation, so I know they'd appreciate it too."

"Yeah, I guess I could do that, but I still don't know if I can make it. If Hank finds out where I'm going before then, I can guarantee you I won't be getting Sunday morning off. If there's two things that Hank hates, it's church and Indians."

"I don't see why he should find out, but if you get into any trouble over it, try to find a way to let me know, and I'll see what I can do about it, but I don't think you will cause I've started praying daily for you too." She stood up. "Well, we better stop jabbering about it before Hank or somebody else gets curious to know what we're talking about. See you Sunday."

Helen watched her go. She was touched that someone would care enough about her to add her to their daily prayers, and she couldn't help but wonder where such love and concern stemmed from.


	27. Chapter 27

Sister Ruth was not surprised to see Anna was already waiting at Noah's cabin when they arrived the next day. After having received Noah's begrudging permission, she had invited Anna to join them for their morning meetings.

Noah had the baby in his arms this morning. With a smile, he offered his great grandson to her to hold, which she gladly accepted.

"He looks healthier every day," she remarked. The baby turned toward her voice as if he recognized it, and she had been slipping away to the Crow woman's house everyday for a couple minutes to sing him little hymns and rock him, as she hadn't forgotten the promise to his dying mother, so he might very well have been able to distinguish her voice above others.

The people in the room all recognized the baby's action for what it was. Noah looked tenderly at them both as if he was glimpsing the future, while Anna burned with jealousy. Sister Ruth began to wonder if her idea had been so great, because from what she had seen so far, Anna might as well have not been in the room for all the attention Noah was paying her.

She sat down on the chair with the baby, and the girls gathered around her to admire their little cousin. She hummed a little tune, hoping it would do a little to detract from the rising tension in the room.

"That's pretty," Deborah commented after listening for a few seconds.

"Yeah, it goes to a song about the baby Moses. Do you want to hear his story?"

The girls gave enthusiastic nods, and Esther commented, "One of my friends' new name is Moses."

"Well, good. You can share it with him at school if he hasn't already heard it."

The girls took a seat at her feet to listen, and Sully translated for Noah as usual. She told the story starting with the captivity of the Israelites and ending with the parting of the Red Sea.

"That was a good story," Esther said when it was over. "God showed those Egyptians they shouldn't be mean." Then she ran over to the broom in the corner and knocked it to the ground as if hoping to see it become a snake.

"That gives me an idea. We can act the story out with the other kids at recess," Deborah said. She picked the broom up and held it up like she was parting the water.

"Speaking of school," Anna said, "it's time you girls were getting there." She was clearly not amused by their playacting.

"Just don't be putting your baby cousin or any other baby in no basket and floating him down a river," Sister Ruth teased.

They smiled in response and said their goodbyes before beginning an argument on who was going to be who in their production on their way out.

Once the girls were gone, Anna challenged the story, "So I cannot figure out, is your god vengeful or is He loving?"

Sister Ruth was glad for the challenge. Noah and Sully were too polite to do so, but if they had questions, and she was sure they did, they never got them answered. "He is holy. He can't tolerate sin, but because of His great love for us, He has given us a way to escape His wrath. Those who don't accept the free gift of grace will have to face vengeance, but He doesn't delight in punishment. His wish is that none would perish, but He leaves the choice up to people. The Egyptians wouldn't have gotten all those plagues if they'd just let God's people go like the Pharaoh kept promising he would, but like a lot of folks, he was stubborn right up to the end."

"Huh," she said, folding her arms. She looked like she was about to ask her something else, but Henry suddenly busted into the cabin without so much as a knock or a by your leave.

"Do you have no respect for people's privacy? This ain't a public building, you know," Sister Ruth said.

"We need to talk," was his only reply.

"What have I done now?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

"I'd rather we talk about it outside."

Noah had stood up and looked ready to defend Sister Ruth in a physical way, but Sully held up a hand to him to indicate he intended to handle Henry, and Noah sat back down.

Anna had stood up also and took the baby, who fussed a little bit at being taken away from Sister Ruth.

"He must be hungry," Anna said, searching for another reason besides his having a bond with Sister Ruth. "I will see that he is fed."

Sister Ruth nodded to her and then she and Sully followed Henry outside.

They stopped when they came to a deserted spot, but before the conversation began, Sully said, "Remember to keep your tones respectful and your hands off the lady."

Henry looked irritated by Sully's warning, but he nodded his agreement and focused his attention back onto Sister Ruth. "I've heard more rumors from town. You were seen walking with one of Hank's girls. Is that true? Are you consorting with women of disreputable character now?" he asked.

"Yes, indeed, brother, and you will be too cause I invited her to the picnic Sunday."

"You did what?" He couldn't have looked more horrified if she'd said she had invited the devil to the picnic. "It's not enough for you that your character is being called into question. Now you have to befriend that kind of woman too? Why are you always in the midst of such controversy? Do you enjoy the attention?" Brother Henry asked angrily.

"I don't. I'd rather God be the center of attention. Is that all you wanted, brother?" she asked, managing to keep calm.

He turned sharply away from her, walking toward the church either muttering to himself or God or likely a bit of both.

"There goes a pleasant man. He's just so eat up with anger, it's pitiful," she said with a shake of her head. "I guess we'd better get to quilting. You picking up any useful, quilting tips in there?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm picking up a few things. Your experiment didn't go as well as you hoped, did it? I don't believe you've pulled the wool over Noah's eyes where Anna's concerned. He knew what you were doing, and he proved to you today that he's not going to forget you so easily."

"I guess he did, didn't he, and it didn't escape my notice that he had the baby either, a sly move to bait me with me the baby. I do love children, and if anything could get me to accept, it'd probably be those 3 sweet children. They need a mother figure badly."

"Are you starting to consider it?" he asked, taking note of her faraway expression.

"It's got its good points to be sure. It would be easier to be a witness if I became one of them in a sense, and I'd know the children would grow up knowing the Lord. Still, I would be marrying Noah, not the reservation or the children. It wouldn't be right if there wasn't the right kind of love between us. I still got hope where Anna's concerned though. I saw some sparks fly between them when they were arguing the other day."

"But was it the right kind of sparks?"

"Time will tell," she answered.

sss

That evening, they found that the horses had been freed from the wagon.

Sully looked for signs of footprints around the wagon but saw no clues other than trampled grass. "It shouldn't take me long to find the horses. I just had them hitched and ready a few minutes before you finished teaching. You wait here and don't go nowhere by yourself. Someone around here doesn't like us."

"Doesn't like me, you mean. I'll wait in Henry's cabin."

He gave her a sympathetic smile and a nod before heading off to track them down.

While she waited for Sully to return, she started Henry's supper for him as a gesture of goodwill. The cabin door opened just as she had got the kitchen fire going good and the stewpot hung, and she expected to see Henry or Sully come in, but it was a young Arapahoe man instead.

He didn't wait for her to acknowledge his presence. "I hear that you've been spending your mornings with one of the reservation's elders." The man's dark eyes flashed with anger.

"That would be true," she assented.

"You are trying to win him to your god with your wiles, but you only play. You know and I know that you will never marry an Indian man."

"I would if he was a Christian man that I loved, but you have the wrong idea. I've been honest with him that I'm not seeking another marriage. We're only friends."

His eyes moved to her Bible, which was resting on one of the stools. He snatched it up and flipped through the pages. "This is how your god speaks to you with bird scratches?" he asked with a laugh. "Men cannot not destroy vision and dreams. This can be destroyed. This is nothingness." He ripped some of the pages out, casting the worn pages into the fire where they quickly curled and blackened, leaving nothing but ashes in its place. "Your god is not so mighty."

"You can burn paper, but you can't shut out God's message to you. Men have tried it in the very pages you're burning. His Word is alive. It is a sword able to touch the soul and able to judge your very thoughts and heart."

He threw the Bible on the floor with a scoff, but it was obvious her words disturbed him to a degree.

"I found the—" Sully began as he came through the door, but he broke off when he saw the man. He hurried over and placed himself in front of Sister Ruth. "What's going on here?" He saw the mistreated Bible on the floor and picked it up.

The Arapahoe's eyes glittered with hatred like hard, black coals, but his mouth was clamped shut.

"It's nothing," Sister Ruth said. "There was really no harm done. He didn't hurt me."

The Arapahoe looked surprised but remained silent.

"Are you sure about that?" Sully asked.

"I'm sure," she responded. "Just a misunderstanding is all."

"Well, then you're free to go," Sully said to him, "and I would because I don't think Henry will be so understanding if he finds you in his cabin."

He left the cabin without a glance in Sister Ruth's direction.

"You ready to go home?" Sully asked her.

Taking the Bible from him, she said, "Very much so."

"Are you upset about your Bible?" Sully asked outside, noticing her unusual silence, as he helped her into the wagon.

"It was my daddy's Bible; he gave it to me as a parting gift when I left home. This book's weathered a lot and been with me through a lot of hard times," she said, stroking the cover in a loving gesture. "As you can see from what's left of it, it was looking a little dog-eared even before he got a hold of it. I guess it was really about time I got a new one. I'd thought of getting a new one a time or two, and now I reckon I'll have to."

Although her words were resigned to what had happened to it, it was easy to see she was deeply saddened by it.


	28. Chapter 28

Sister Ruth and Sully stopped into town the next morning. One of the horses needed to be reshoed, so while Sully went to Robert E's, Sister Ruth went to get a new Bible.

The Bibles in stock were simple, black bound Bibles reminiscent of her own except that they were a lot newer.

"You buying a Bible for somebody?" Loren asked her when she took one up to pay for it.

"Yeah, myself," she said with a wry smile, as she pulled out the needed cash.

He cocked his head. "What happened to yours?"

"It met with a little accident," she said, not wishing to go into detail.

It was plain to see that he'd surmised the accident involved the Indians somehow, although he didn't prod any further on that account. "Was it a family Bible?" he asked in a low voice.

"It was, but when I remember that not so long ago in history, a regular person couldn't openly own a Bible without dying for it, I count myself blessed that I live in a place and time when I can go right out and buy one."

He pulled out his catalogue. "I can order you a real nice Bible with gold lettering on the cover, a clasp, fine pictures, just about anything you could want." He was obviously sorry about it and was trying to make up for it in some small way.

"I don't need a fancy covering. I only want the words. This suits me just dandy."

He put the catalogue away, and as he accepted the money, he told her with a smile, "I'll be at the service Sunday."

"Wonderful, I'll be sure to save you a place," she said warmly.

A grubby man in his 40s, who from appearances rarely came into town, was browsing the store. The man looked at her on her way out, and though he didn't speak a word to her, the contempt in his expression labeled her as a fallen woman without the need for words. It was a look she was getting used to since the message had been painted on the church wall.

She figured on stopping by the Gazette on her way to the livery to ask Dorothy if she was going to be printing a reminder of the service and picnic. However, a group of 5 children of 2 girls and 3 boys ranging from the ages of 4 to 10 enclosed her in a circle on her way there, and they studied her as if they had caught themselves a rare creature.

It was easy to see they were all from the same family. They were dressed in worn material and their unkempt hair and skin looked as if it hadn't seen a bath in quite awhile.

"Why aren't ya'll in school?" she asked immediately in a pleasant but curious tone.

"We don't go to school. Our pa's just getting some supplies from Mr. Bray," answered the oldest boy.

She had a feeling their pa was the man she'd met on her way out. "I see. Any particular reason you've got me surrounded? Are ya'll practicing your herding skills or something?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with humor.

"Is it true you're turning Indian? That's what Pa says," commented the youngest boy abruptly.

"She don't look Indian to me," said the middle boy.

"There'd be nothing wrong if I was," Sister Ruth said. "God made them the same as He made us. He looks at the heart, not what you look like on the outside. He don't care if you're fat or thin, tall or short, rich or poor."

That seemed to stun them momentarily as they regarded her comment as a strange notion.

"Well, excuse me, kids. I have to go see some people," she said, getting ready to break through the circle they had formed.

"Our big brother says you're going to be sorry," said the youngest boy, pelting sharp words at her, showing they were not at all comfortable with her kind persona. They wanted a rise out of her to see that bad person come out that they'd been led to believe she was.

That caught Sister Ruth's attention and she took a step back, so she could see his face. "Sorry?"

"He and his friends going to bust the windows in the black people's house next," chimed in the youngest, before sticking her dirty thumb in her mouth.

"Cindy," said the oldest boy admonishingly, "you weren't supposed to tell anybody that."

"What black people?" Sister Ruth asked. "Grace and Robert E, the ones who live in town?"

"They've been running their mouths, sticking up for you and the Indians. It ain't right. People should stick with their own kind and leave others be," defended the middle boy, quoting words he'd heard from his father most likely.

"When are they planning this?" Sister Ruth asked.

"Like we're going to tell you that," sneered the oldest.

"You kids go wait for your pa in front of the store and behave yourselves or I'll see to it that my friend, the sheriff, helps you find him."

The threat of having to be escorted to their father by the sheriff was enough, and the kids flew apart and scattered like a seeds on a dandelion. They were more bark than bite, but it appeared the same couldn't be said for their brother and his friends.

Deciding to skip seeing Dorothy, she went straight to Robert E and Sully. "I just had an interesting talk with some kids," Sister Ruth announced to them, who having finished with the horse had been talking together while Robert E worked on mending a plow. Robert E stopped to give her his full attention. "They tell me their oldest brother and his buddies are behind the window damage and plan to go after yours and Grace's windows next."

Robert E's face went from placid to angry. "What are their names? I'll go talk to their parents right now."

"Given how some parents are and the high tensions running in town, I think it'd be better if we caught them in the act," Sully advised.

"How we going to do that?" Robert E asked. "They could strike anytime."

"No, from the two previous incidents, they really don't want to be caught. They'd wait for another town event to distract attention or wait for when they knew you wouldn't be home." An idea suddenly came to Sully. "Wouldn't it just be convenient if word got around that you and Grace were going to spend the night in Shanty Town tonight with some friends, leaving the house as abandoned as it can be in the middle of town."

Robert E smiled. "I see what you mean. Better go alert the sheriff to what we got planned."

Sister Ruth gave a sigh of relief. "I've been asking for Him to reveal the ones behind it before they do any more damage. It looks like He's seen fit to answer."

sss

Having worked out the details with Daniel, Sully and Robert E lay in wait inside the house that evening with the sheriff. They'd spread the news about Robert E and Grace being gone by making sure some of the key gossips were informed, and they'd closed the café and livery down early. They weren't disappointed with the results. Just as a blanket of darkness had started spreading its way across the sky, 4 shadowy figures approached the house.

"Drop the rocks, boys," Daniel ordered as he opened the front door, Sully and Robert E right behind him.

Bandanas covered their faces, but Daniel recognized all but one or two of the boys. Although they immediately dropped the rocks, he pulled out his gun to be sure they wouldn't try to run as he told them his next words. "You boys are going to be spending some time in jail, so let's get moving. You know the direction."

"Jail?" gasped one of the boys as if he wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"Yes, son," Daniel answered. "What did you think was going to happen when you destroyed private property? You're not children anymore. You're all young men and boys younger than you have hung for a whole lot less."

"We was just trying to scare some sense into that crazy preacher woman. We weren't going to hurt anybody," said another of the boys in a whining tone that sounded more fit for a 3 year old than the 15 or 16 year old boy that he was.

"But you did hurt people emotionally and financially. You broke the law, boys, and now it's time to see what happens when you do."

They reluctantly began shuffling in the direction of the jail. Sully followed just to ensure things went smoothly even though it seemed all the fight had left the boys with the mention of jail.

Robert E went to inform Michaela, Sister Ruth, and Grace of the event, who were all waiting at the clinic for news.

"We can all sleep a little easier. They're behind bars," Robert E announced.

Grace went over and hugged him, not that she'd been too worried he'd get hurt, but it was a relief to see him just the same.

"Such a shame. They probably ain't even started shaving yet," Sister Ruth said. "We can hope and pray that this shakes them up a little bit, so they don't try nothing like this again."

"Well, I hope the entire town gets shaken up from this," Michaela said. "It was their hatred as a whole that motivated them."

"Hatred is a vicious cycle," Grace agreed. "Parents pass their hate onto their kids the same way they pass on their looks, and it happens that people break out of it but not too often." She placed a protective hand over her middle. "This baby ain't going to learn it from me."

"Or me," he said, putting a hand over hers.

sss

Sister Ruth brought the prisoners muffins she had baked the following morning and saw a crowd was clustered around the jail, demonstrating the town's healthy curiosity over such matters.

Daniel must have caught sight of her, Sully, and Michaela in the crowd, as he helped them through the people and into the jail where the boys were still asleep.

"They almost look angelic asleep," Sister Ruth said with a quiet chuckle. "I brought them a basket of muffins for their breakfast." She passed the basket to Daniel.

"They had a rough night," Daniel explained. "They may be out for awhile, but I'll make sure they know who brought them the muffins." He set the basket down on the bench.

"Have you talked to their parents?" Michaela asked.

"I have. One of the fathers was pretty angry about it all. He didn't want his son spending time in jail, but I impressed on him the wisdom of them seeing where breaking the law makes you end up. They're going to squirm in there for about a week before they get their true punishment. The reverend's not going to press charges against them, and I assume you all aren't either." He paused and they all nodded their agreement. "Their parents are going to pool all the money they can together to go toward the replacement costs, which the boys are going to work towards paying back, and they're also going to work to repay the rest of the amount."

"Well, I just wanted to show them that I forgive for what they done," Sister Ruth said. "I might come by another time to see them."

The three went back out to face the crowd after saying bye to Daniel, needing to get to work. Sister Ruth spotted Henry in the crowd.

She went over to him. "What are you doing in town?"

"I need to get some things before tomorrow," he answered. "What's going on here?"

"They caught a group of boys that were behind breaking the windows. To tell you the truth, I had my suspicions that you might've had something to do with it."

Henry looked offended. "As if I don't have better things to do with my time. You aren't on my mind so much that I would bother with lashing out in such a childish way."

"I know that now, and I kind of figured you weren't the sort to cause any kind of defacement to the House of the Lord, but well, you'd said the same thing almost word for word the day before, and you have to admit that you ain't been the easiest person to get along with."

"And I suppose you have?" he retorted.

"Surely, brother, can't you see my halo?" she asked with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

The corners of his lips twitched like they wanted to smile but had forgotten how. Then his expression grew more somber. "I might have unwittingly had something to do with it. I seem to recall having a chat with a young man on the day it happened, and I admit he might have heard my grumblings about you and your Indian friend before I noticed he was there, but it wasn't intentional. It was done in ignorance."

It was about the closest to an apology from him as she was going to get. "You said it. I didn't."

He left for his errands in a huff, and Sister Ruth began to wonder if they could have a conversation that didn't end with him storming away. She had lost track of Sully and Michaela in the ever-thickening crowd. The murmurings in the crowd had accordingly grown louder as more people discussed the jailing. More comments against Sister Ruth and the Indians were flying through the air than ones against the boys. She spotted Sully and Michaela still by the door, looking most displeased.

Using persistent calling, Michaela finally got the crowd's attention. "It was not Sister Ruth and it was not the Indians that sparked this problem. It was hatred that spread through this town like an epidemic, a hatred that originated with the adults. You're worried these people will make your community less than perfect, but you're making it ugly yourselves with your attitudes and behavior. Why should we be surprised when that hatred breeds violence?

"It all boils down to this. What kind of town do you want to live in? The picnic at the reservation is tomorrow, and I think everyone of you should be there. You've come a long way as a whole in accepting Robert E and Grace and the immigrants into the community. I think it's time that we begin to accept the native people too, don't you?"

The crowd was mostly silenced after the small speech, but Hank could be heard grumbling in disgust, "Typical Michaela on her soapbox. Thinking she can change us all with a fancy speech."

The crowd began to break up, and Sister Ruth wondered if she'd see any of their faces at the reservation tomorrow or if they were at least thinking about putting an end to their hostility.


	29. Chapter 29

It was a larger turnout than last Sunday even though there were still some regular attendees visibly missing. Sister Ruth hoped that the ones there were there because Michaela or the reverend's speech had reached them and that it wasn't just idle curiosity, and they meant to reach out to their fellow human beings.

Inside the church, it smelled like freshly cut wood, a smell that would soon fade. There were long pews that stretched across the small space, so that there was no middle aisle, and architecturally, it had little decorative charm inside or out except for the cross on the roof that Sully had carved.

Michaela, Sully, and Sister Ruth claimed an empty middle pew, which they soon filled with Loren and Noah and his grandchildren joining them on the pew. Other familiar and expected faces trickled like Horace, Dorothy, Grace, and Robert E. When Sister Ruth saw Helen come in, she went over engulfed her in a motherly hug. Helen looked a little shell-shocked at the open display of affection. Ruth quickly ushered her over to their pew before she had time to change her mind in the face of the church people.

Henry delivered a sermon true to form that was chocked full of dire warnings mostly to adulterers this time, and left no reminders of the merciful, loving God. He frequently shot pointed glances in Sister Ruth's direction with Noah being on one side of her and Helen on the other. It ended with the hymn, "Blest Be the Tie That Binds." He seemed to have a knack for the right hymns if not the right words.

After filing out of church, people began spreading out the blankets they'd brought on the ground and getting in line at the table lined with food.

Helen stuck by Sister Ruth as if there were some invisible chain linking them together, and she didn't blame her in the least, knowing how condemning some of the so-called church people could be from experience. Sister Ruth waited until most of the people had gotten their plates before getting in line out of courtesy, but she loaded up her plate as she had worked up an appetite this morning getting things ready for the picnic before church had started.

"I told you it'd be a hit," Sister Ruth said to Helen, taking the last of the last of the huckleberries she had brought. "Good thing I didn't wait any longer or I still wouldn't have got me none."

Helen smiled with pleasure, but didn't comment.

Taking their full plates and cups of lemonade, they found Sully and Michaela's blanket, where Katie was making a happy mess of a cake slice on her plate.

"Ain't no denying that girl's got a sweet tooth," Sister Ruth said with a chuckle.

"No," Sully agreed and then smiled at Brian, "Takes after her brother in that way." Brian only smiled back, his own mouth too full of cake to answer.

Sully took Helen and Sister Ruth's plates and cups from them, so they could sit down easier.

"Cloud Dancing, are you going to eat with us?" Dorothy asked as he approached.

Dorothy and Grace and Robert E had placed their blankets next to Sully and Michaela's.

"I would not think of eating elsewhere," he answered, "but did you not hear? You should be calling me Joseph now."

"I heard," Dorothy said, "but you'll always be Cloud Dancing to me."

"Thank you for that. I am not ready to cow down in all respects, but I must keep the white name to keep the peace until the ways of our people can be embraced again, and it is but a drop of injustice in the lake of injustices done to us."

"Well, if it helps, it's a good, strong name they gave you," Michaela said. "Josef was my father's name."

"If I must have a white name, I consider it a joy that I share it with your father." He joined Dorothy on her blanket and studied his plate. "These mashed turnips remind of a story. Brian, have I ever told you the legend of Falling Star?"

"No, but I'd like to hear it," he answered.

Before he began the story, Michaela said to Sister Ruth with a laugh. "Don't look now, but I believe you are about to be taken captive."

Sister Ruth turned her head just in time to see two little girls running toward her. They begged her to join them on their blanket, and she didn't have the heart to tell them no even if it meant eating with Noah. Sully having already anticipated the move was moving to help her back up. Once she was on her feet, he picked up her cup and plate to hand to her.

"You're welcome to stay with us, Helen," Michaela said with a friendly expression.

"Thank you, I will," Helen answered. "I'm kind of interested in hearing about Falling Star."

Sister Ruth followed the girls back to their blanket. The baby must have been with the Crow woman getting his own lunch, but Noah was there, and he smiled at her but didn't look surprised to see her, and she wondered if the girls had been put up to getting her.

"Anna, come join us," Sister Ruth called as the woman walked by. Anna didn't need to be asked twice. Sister Ruth scooted so Anna got a place beside Noah.

Anna had bread on her plate. She said something to Noah and then broke it in half and passed it to him. It was something she had made herself. He grudgingly took it, but his face lighted up with delight when he took a bite. They said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Sister Ruth didn't believe it or there'd be a lot more unmarried women, but it certainly didn't hurt, and it did seem he became more tolerant of Anna after taking the bite.

Sister Ruth did a lot of people-watching while she ate to get an idea of how things were going. She spotted Brother Henry eating by himself, watching the gathering as if he expected the world to end at any moment, which was no surprise. Horace was helping the reverend visit all the blankets where he was making conversation like a good pastor should. It didn't take long to notice though that most of the people weren't intermingling. The townspeople were basically on one side and the reservation people on the other; it looked something like enemy camps.

She had expected no less; Sister Ruth had come to the picnic prepared. She had game items ready to go, and when most everyone had finished eating, she went and retrieved the long rope she had brought.

She clapped to get everyone's attention and then announced, "We're going to have a little game of tug-of-war to get started. For those of us who don't know what that is, it's a game of strength. Each side pulls on the rope until they get the other side to cross a certain spot. There'll be no cheating by wrapping the rope around your wrists or any other part. You must hold it by your hands only."

"Not only that, but you could get seriously injured doing that," Michaela added. She'd read of a case where wrapping the rope during the game had caused an amputation.

"For this game, we'll play church against church. You need to pick 5 people," Sister Ruth said.

Each side picked their 5 strongest men while Sister Ruth marked the center point with a branch and after they'd got in place and she'd backed away to give them plenty of room, she shouted, "And go!"

The men immediately started exerting their strength. It was an intense game with the audience cheering on their own sides. The seriousness of the viewer's expressions spoke of how involved they were in the game like it was a real war going on. If only wars could be resolved so easily, Sister Ruth thought. The game was hardly a short one, and men began to perspire in their struggle. Just as one a team started to be pulled close to the stick, the other side would experience a resurgence of strength. Finally, with one last herculean effort, the Indian side sent the opposite side reeling to the ground and over the stick.

Fortunately, there seemed to be no hurt feelings as a whole at having lost. In fact, with the game finished, it seemed to have broken some of the earlier tension, but there was still a standoffishness between the groups, as if they were afraid to mingle.

Sister Ruth prayed the next game would solve that before announcing it. "We're going to have ourselves a 3-legged race next, and I pick the partners," she told them. She started with the children pairing the ones from town with the ones from the reservation, handing them the ropes to tie themselves together. Then she moved onto the adults who regarded her as one might regard the angel of death when they saw where she was going with the pairings. She paired Cloud Dancing with Henry, Loren with Noah, and so on until everyone had a partner, unless something kept them from playing like age. As the final pairing, she tied herself to Anna.

There were frowns in every direction she looked when she was finished, but it was as good a way to get to know somebody as any, and it forced cooperation unless a person just enjoyed falling.

With another shout of go, the race was off. Predictably the teenagers took the lead with a good portion of the adults more concerned with staying on their feet than winning the race. Brian and his partner ended up winning.

Sister Ruth noticed the people were freer with their smiles after this game even if they weren't altogether warmed up yet.

"I think we did pretty good," Sister Ruth told Anna as she undid the knot. "We didn't fall anyway and we came out ahead of some of the men."

Anna smiled in return. "We did okay."

Addressing the crowd, Sister Ruth said, "To the tree, everybody."

Taking the lead, they followed her to the nearby tree where some noticed for the first time that about a dozen apples dangled from the tree. The stems of the apples had been tied to strings and around the tree limb, so that they hung down from varying heights, some low for the children and others higher for the adults.

"Find you an apple. Put your hands behind your back and try to take a bite out of it with just your mouth," she informed them.

There were sounds of laughter, maybe the first of the day for most people, as the elusive apples kept escaping their mouths.

Sister Ruth watched as Sully and Michaela shared an apple. At first, they took turns trying to get a bite, and she wasn't so sure they were as focused on getting a bite out of the apple as they were on watching each other. They finally solved the problem by going for the apple at the same time and holding it between them. They took victory bites out of the ruby red fruit leaving 2 white circles behind. They smiled before going for each other's lips, not as elusive a prize as the apple had been. It made Sister Ruth both happy and sad to see couples enjoying time together lately.

A thought suddenly occurred to Sister Ruth, and she went over to Cloud Dancing. "I'm sorry I didn't think of this earlier, but we've been playing games that we normally play at church picnics, but like the food, we should be bringing the best of both worlds. Do you have games that your people like to do that we could play?"

Looking pleased to be asked, he said, "I can think of a couple that we would all enjoy."

It didn't take him long to track down some netted hoops and poles and a basket with plum stones inside.

When the apple game was finished, Sister Ruth said, "I'm turning the games over to Clo—Joseph."

Cloud Dancing began explaining the first game, "You must have someone roll the hoop and try to throw the poles through it as it is moving, aiming for the middle." He called one of the reservation boys over to roll the hoop for him, and he demonstrated throwing the pole. The pole landed in the center loop.

Most of the tribes had played this game in some form their own selves and were eager to do something associated with their old customs. They gathered around the hoops and poles.

Some of the townsfolk seemed a little unsure of playing an Indian game, but they gradually began to join in when they say how much fun it looked, although their skills in no way matched the Indians'.

Helen had to get back to town during this before Hank grew suspicious of her whereabouts, if he wasn't already, and Sister Ruth promised to visit sometime during the week before sending her off with a dessert to snack on during her walk back.

When people began to weary of that game, Cloud Dancing said, "We are now going to play Monshimout. This basket game is played by the Cheyenne and is only for the women to play." Cloud Dancing held up a plum stone. "There are 5 of these. On one side, there is either a cross or a bear paw. Then there is the basket and 8 sticks for each team representing the points that must be won. When you win the other team's sticks, you've won the game. 2 bears and 3 crosses means you take the 8 sticks and your team's won the game. If the stones all land on the plain side you get one stick. 3 plains and 2 bears or 2 bears, 2 crosses, and 1 blank gets you one stick. 2 blanks and 3 crosses gets you 3 sticks. Any other combination means no sticks The player will keep going as long as they are winning sticks. When they get a 0, then it goes to the next person on the team. When the last member scores a 0, the basket passes to the other team." He then demonstrated the way to throw the stones. He put them into the basket and raised it slightly and quickly enough that the stones only went up in the air by a few inches and landed in the basket. Then he brought it firmly down on the ground, so that it made a slight noise. "Who of the women would like to play?" he asked.

The women who were willing to play stood up, which amounted to exactly 14. Dorothy, Michaela, and Ruth were the only non-Indian volunteers. He divided them up into 2 equal teams and put them in lines opposite each other.

With the teams were formed, the Indians who weren't playing began to bet on the team that was going to win.

"Are they taking wagers?" Henry asked Sister Ruth, who was at the end of the line on her team.

"They appear to be, brother, but it's harmless fun. From what I can hear, they're just betting with the leftovers from the meal. They couldn't wager money or valuables if they wanted to, but if you feel the need to make your next sermon on the dangers of making wag—"

"You better believe I will," he interrupted.

"You know, Henry, God is not a grumpy old man waiting to cast us into eternal flames the moment we slip out of line or engage in some fun. God feels joy and happiness and laughter, and He created us to feel these emotions, so relax and smile once in a while. It won't hurt, I promise."

The look he shot her said that he had no intention of embracing that sort of fun, but he did move so they could start the game. Jokes were slung back and forth between the Indian women as the game got under way. It was the most carefree she had ever seen the women from her quilting circle.

When the game was over, it was getting to be late afternoon and time for the townspeople to be setting for home. The winners of the wagers collected their food prizes, and people began folding up their blankets.

Sister Ruth smiled at the beautiful scene, knowing God was smiling too. It wasn't a major breakthrough perhaps. She was more than sure that there were still prejudices on both sides, but they'd had a good time together and that could go a long way in starting a friendship between the two churches.


	30. Chapter 30

As Sully and Sister Ruth walked toward Noah's cabin the next day, Henry fell into step with them.

"I thought I might sit in on your little morning devotional," he said. "I haven't gotten a chance to see the work you're doing up close."

"You're perfectly welcome to join us, Brother Henry," she said seriously. Then with laughter in her voice, she commented, "So I see everyone seems to have survived the picnic. The earth didn't open up and swallow anybody whole."

"It should have with you inviting that woman," he retorted.

"That woman is a perfectly nice girl. She's just living the wrong lifestyle right now and will keep doing so if someone doesn't show her a better way," Sister Ruth said.

"And where'd she go after she'd been shown the better way? She went right back to the saloon and without an escort. Not that she can't take care of herself, I'm sure, but you can't teach someone like that how to be decent. She didn't even stay the full time."

Sully spoke up, "Where else could she go, and if she had come back into town with everybody else, Hank would have realized where she'd gone, and it wouldn't have gone good for her. But if you're concerned about her safety, she made it back to town okay. We checked on our way home."

"Any more complaints about the picnic you want to make?" Sister Ruth asked.

"All things considered, it went better than I thought it would," he consented as if it pained him to admit it. "At the evening service we have, it seemed they were a little more attentive to my words. Perhaps it wasn't an altogether bad thing. I suppose it doesn't hurt them to have a community function once in a while."

She noticed a couple of little boys joyfully playing the hoop and pole game in front of one of the cabins. "Why Brother Henry, are you letting them play games from their own culture?"

"The hoop and pole game didn't seem so terrible, but that basket game is out. The children aren't going to be taught it's okay to make wagers on my watch."

"But you're really going to let them play the hoop and pole game?" Sully asked, not quite able to believe it.

"You see it, don't you?" he replied, beginning to lose his patience. "I remember playing a hoop and pole game myself as a boy. We'd take a hoop and stick and try to keep it rolling during a race. It was harmless fun."

Realizing she would never get a better opportunity then now, she said, "I'm glad to hear you're seeing things this way. What would you say to a dance at the reservation?"

Although Henry didn't answer immediately, he seemed to be turning it over in his mind. Finally, he said, "I suppose if it wasn't inappropriate dancing. No flashing ankles or leaping around a campfire or whatever it is they do."

"It will be just like a dance in town," she promised. "I think the women will enjoy breaking the monotony of quilting to learn some dance steps."

They'd reached Noah's cabin, and Sully knocked and received the okay to come in.

"See how that works?" Sister Ruth asked Henry, referring to his barging in unannounced the other day.

Henry didn't reply but shot her an unamused glance.

From the peaceful expression on Anna and Noah's faces, it seemed they had been either enjoying a conversation or a companionable silence.

Henry took a seat on the bed, leaving the only chair in the cabin for Sister Ruth to have. "Pretend I'm not even here. Do as you would normally."

Sully seated himself in the floor beside Ruth and across from Noah and Anna. The girls continued to play with their dolls in the corner, not coming over as they normally would, no doubt due to the presence of Henry.

"I haven't prepared a particular story this morning," A snort from the direction of bed showed that pretending he wasn't in the room wasn't going to be an easy task. "Is there anything you'd like to learn more about? Something you heard in church or a name maybe?"

Anna looked to Noah and when his unconcerned expression showed he didn't really mind what they learned about, she said, "I don't want stories as much as I want answers." She then peered over at Henry clearly afraid to ask questions with him in the room, but he nodded to show he wanted her to continue. "We have taken your clothes, your names, your houses. I do not feel any better for it. Why take your god?"

"Because God is the only one of those things that truly matter, the only one that's going to make you different on the inside."

"Your god does not care about our people," Anna said. "He is stamping us out like He stamped out those Egyptians."

She held up her Bible. "This book comes down to one thing: God loves the whole human race. It starts at the beginning with the first man and woman bringing the curse of sin into the world. It tells us of God sending His Son to earth to die for us, to rescue us from the curse. It ends with Him coming back for the ones who know and love Him."

"And the others go to hell," Anna finished, her gaze naturally going to Henry as hell appeared to be his favorite biblical topic.

"Hell is a torment of their own making because they chose not to know and love God while they could have," Sister Ruth said. "God does not force His creation to love Him or it wouldn't be love. Love is a choice, so there must be a place for those who chose not to love Him."

"Is that a new Bible?" asked Henry. "What happened to your old one?"

She put the Bible back in her lap away from his suspicious eyes and said, "It was long overdue to retire."

His expression changed from suspicion to indignation as he held up his own tattered Bible for her to see, "The words are just as good in an old covering."

"And they're still the same words in a new covering. You're not really going to quibble over the age of my Bible, are you?"

Henry was about to respond to her to when he noted that Sully had been translating the argument between them. "Is that really necessary, Mr. Sully, to translate every single word?"

"It would be bad manners not to," Sully answered.

Henry went back to silence but disapproval still managed to radiate from him like a noxious fume.

Noah spoke with his hands.

"He says that he wishes to know how God rescued us when He came to Earth," Sully said.

Sister Ruth smiled in response and said, "Jesus made enemies with His teachings and when it came time, He allowed Himself to be given over to these enemies, so that he could suffer and die on a cross to be the perfect, willing sacrifice and pay the price of sin. He was dead for 3 days, but He overcame the grave because of who He was, giving us the right to become children of God if we believe and ask for this gift."

She opened the Bible to the first chapter of John. Sully stretched his fingers and hands in preparation because although she was careful to read slowly because the older English, it took him longer to make sure he was finding the right words.

"The Bible says it better than I ever could, and John is especially good at summing up who Jesus was and how He rescues us. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The Word being Jesus Christ," she clarified. 'The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.'

She flipped a few pages over. "'That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.'"

Noah got to his feet when she closed the Bible. He came closer to Sister Ruth though not so close that he couldn't still see Sully and vise versa.

Sully translated as Noah said, "I am ready to become a son of God. I want to be free of the darkness."

"There are no magic words," she informed him. 'I think you've learned enough that you can pray to Him yourself."

He moved back to the rug, so that he could get to his knees and prayed aloud in Apache and with his hands, so that Sister Ruth would know if he had done it the proper way.

"Dear Father in Heaven, I have done many bad things. I do not like my life to be like this. I ask for Your Son, Jesus, to come into my heart and help me change. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and heal my wounded spirit. I ask that I may be saved from Hell. I ask that I may learn more about You, my Father in Heaven, and of Your love for me. I ask that I may follow Your Son, Jesus. Let me learn more of how He gave His life for me and paid for my sins on the cross. I now accept the free gift of salvation that You offer me. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen."

Sully and Henry had doubted Noah's veracity in wanting God at first, thinking he was doing it only for Sister Ruth, but they could hear the sincerity in the simple, heartfelt prayer. Neither expressed any particular emotion but watched the scene silently. Sister Ruth, however, left her chair and clasped his hands affectionately. Although she normally preferred hugs, she didn't want to give either him or Henry or anyone else the wrong impression. The girls had left their corner to observe their grandfather more closely during his prayer. Anna observed as well but she bore great resentment on her features.

After promising through Sully to visit during lunch to talk more about what it meant to live as a Christian, Sister Ruth left with Sully and Henry.

"I'm so happy that Noah has come to the Lord, not only for his own sake, but because he can witness to his people in a way that we can't," Sister Ruth said.

"Most likely they'll just be angry with him for choosing to act white in this way," Sully pointed out. "He won't have an easier time of it than you two. In fact, he'll probably have it worse."

"I don't doubt it. Hopefully, his faith bears up under it," Henry said though his tone said he didn't expect it to.

"With your church all built, how are you going to spend your time?" Sister Ruth asked Henry.

"The men need to learn skills the same as the women do, and some of the adults need to learn English. It's ridiculous for Sully or some other person to have to translate. They should all be speaking English."

"You think so?" Sister Ruth asked.

"You sound as if you disagree," Henry said, showing no real surprise.

"God hears and understands every tongue. There's no special reason for them to give up their own. You shouldn't enforcing the government's agenda. They were speaking their languages long before we ever showed up, and it's hard for the older people; they don't pick up English as easily as the children do. It should be enough that there are people on the reservation that can help bridge the gap, and I think they'd learn to respect you in return and your teaching if you weren't always at odds with the things that make them, them."

"Haven't I agreed to that hoop game they play? Didn't I let them bring their own foods to the picnic? They can't expect me to bend to their ways in everything. And as for respect, they have to earn my respect. If they refuse to cooperate when I try to teach them, there are steps I can and will take to gain their attention." Henry parted ways with them on that note without warning or a goodbye.

"The man is pricklier than a porcupine," Sister Ruth said with a shake of her head before opening the door of Henry's cabin.

The women were cheerfully talking amongst themselves, and for once, the cheer didn't disappear when they saw her. Coupled with Noah's coming to God, it left Sister Ruth feeling very encouraged, as she believed the Holy Spirit was softening their hearts to Him.


	31. Chapter 31

"We're going to put down the needles and thimbles and get outside for some fresh air and sunshine," Sister Ruth announced to the women. They seemed to know there was a catch to escaping the stuffy cabin by their expressions, so she continued, "Brother Henry has agreed to a dance on the reservation provided the dances are the kind of dancing done in town. I don't imagine it'll take too long to learn, but it'll be a nice break anyhow."

"You'd be surprised," Sully said with a small smile. "Not everyone learns to dance easily."

"We've all got our talents, brother," she said with a smile then she led the way outside.

The ladies all circled around her as they came out, waiting for instructions.

"I believe we'll just stick to the waltz and two-step for now. That's about all anybody does anymore anyway." She looked to Sully to see if he agreed with her.

He threw up his hands in playful self-defense. "I dance because Michaela likes to. I'm a far cry from an expert."

"Well, that's what we'll do then. Sully, I need your help to demonstrate if you don't mind."

He came over and stood in front of her.

"A man's right hand will go on your waist and his other hand will hold your hand. Your left hand will go on his right shoulder." The women looked confused until they demonstrated the simple concept. "As you can see without any men here, you're going to have to take turns with this. We'll start with the waltz. Your goal is to make a box shape. I know we don't have music right now, but this is the beat you want 1-2-3, 1-2-3. It helps if you're saying it out loud or in your mind as you're doing it until you get the feel of it, but on the first beat the man's going to step forward with his left foot, which means the woman will be stepping back with her right foot. You're going to be doing the opposite of what your partner's doing." She and Sully showed them what the move looked like.

"Then on the next beat," she went on, "the man will step forward and to the right with his right foot. It's kind of like an upside down L" She realized that most probably couldn't read or possibly none of them could, so she broke away and made the shape with her thumb and pointer finger to give them a visual.

She took up the dancing stance with Sully again. "Again the woman's done the opposite, and if it's been done right, you'll still be facing each other. "So from the beginning this is what it's going to look like." They showed them the 2 steps together. "Okay, on the third beat, the man's going to slide his left foot, and you all will slide your right so that your stance is like it was in the beginning. On the fourth beat, the man will step back with his right foot, meaning the woman will be stepping forward with the right. On the fifth beat, the man will be stepping back and to the left with his left foot and the woman stepping forward with the right. Then on the last beat, he will slide his right foot forward until his feet are together and you'll bring your feet together and you ought to be right in front of each other. You start it over again only you and he are going to turn a smidgeon to the left." The women looked a little shell-shocked by all those instructions. "So, ladies, all together this is what it looks like." She counted as they did the steps, so they could see what each step looked like and they went through the steps 4 times, so they could get a good picture of it.

"See, it's not as bad as it sounds, but the best way to learn dancing is by doing, so grab yourself a partner and start practicing. Once you lick the waltz, the two step will seem like a piece of cake." Her sentence seemed to confuse them all over again. "The other dancing will seem easier after this," she explained.

They began pairing up, and she said laughingly to Sully, "I ain't going to become a dance teacher anytime soon, am I? I think they're more confused than when we started."

"You better stick to teaching the Bible," he agreed teasingly then he said, "English ain't their first language, so you're right about them picking it up as they do it."

Just the little bit of dancing had seemed to set her heart to pounding, and since there were an odd number of women at the moment, it gave her an excuse to sit down. She looked at Sully, who had gone over and paired himself with the woman without the partner. "You care if I set myself down against the cabin for a moment?"

He shot her a worried look.

"Don't look so fretted. I'll be fine. It's just an ailment called getting old."

That seemed to ease his mind. "You go right ahead. You'll have a better view for spotting mistakes from there anyway."

She took her seat on the ground and removed her hat to fan herself with the brim. It wasn't particularly hot even with the sun shining, but she felt hot. Despite what Sully said, he had the dance instruction perfectly under control. She knew he was a great teacher from experience; she'd really learned a lot about the Cheyenne under his tutelage.

A few minutes later, Anna finally joined the group. She'd no doubt spent her time trying to talk Noah out of what she viewed as foolhardiness, and judging from her mood, she hadn't been successful. She looked at Sister Ruth as if she expected her to reprimand her for being late, but when she didn't, she took a seat beside her.

"We're going to have a dance on the reservation, so we're practicing for it," Sister Ruth told her.

Anna studied the laughing women as they tried to keep the rhythm to the beat Sully created for them with his 1-2-3. 1-2-3. "I do not believe I will learn this white man's dance," she announced.

"That's fine, sister. Nobody's going to force you to. I think Brother Henry would just as well you didn't dance."

Anna glanced over at her briefly to try and discern if Sister Ruth was mocking or baiting her before she went back to watching. "Not very musical, this dance. Our dancers wear wraps on their ankles that ring and rattle with the dance. The dancing is not much to watch either."

"Your dancing sounds lovely. I can't argue with you about it needing some music. These dances are pretty simple dance steps made more for getting to know people or socializing than for the performance value. I'll see if I can't track down a musician to play for us tomorrow though. It's different doing it to music."

Leaving the subject of dance behind and getting to what she had really been dying to comment on, she said, "I still do not understand. Why would a god willingly suffer and die for people who hated Him?

"Do you have children?"

"I had 4 sons," she said proudly but not able to hide the sadness mixed in with that statement.

"Would you have given your life for them?"

She nodded vigorously. "Many times over."

"No one can match the vastness or the depth of God's love, but if an imperfect human parent can show such love toward their child, imagine how much love a perfect God has for His children."

"Makes sense," she admitted reluctantly. "I am not saying I am going on this Jesus path, but maybe I want to hear more."

"I'd be tickled to death if you joined us for lunch." To the dancers, she said, "Switch roles, the other person should lead while the other follows."

The rest of the morning passed by pleasantly. As Sister Ruth predicted, they learned the two step a little more quickly than the waltz, although they still need music to really get the hang of it.

Around noon, Sister Ruth said, "Okay, ladies, we can break for lunch and then we'll get back to quilting for the afternoon."

She joined Sully after the women had dispersed and told him, "We'll wait for Anna. She's going to go get her lunch and bring it over to Noah's, so she can hear more. It's a good sign that she's so interested. Even if Noah was her initial reason for coming, she's really picking everything apart and trying to understand. I hope and pray it means she's on the verge of accepting."

Sully's silence spoke louder than anything he could have said.

"You don't like that souls are being won over to the Lord, do you?' she asked.

"No, I don't," he answered honestly. "You're beginning to win their trust, their friendship, and you're using it to get them over to your way of thinking."

"They're adults, who are capable of making up their own minds one way or the other. I've known people who've had the message of salvation given to them in the most eloquent, moving way you could imagine, and they still didn't accept, and I've known people who were given the message in an awkward, nervous manner because the person wasn't too sure of themselves, but they accepted the message with tears in their eyes because it's what they needed to hear. My point being, it's not the messenger; it's the message."

"That may be, but I still don't like it. I just don't think he felt he had a choice."

"He had a choice. The same choice we all have. What you witnessed this morning was a heart opening to the love of its Creator."

"I wish I could see it that way. I wish I had your faith," he said.

"You can. I wasn't born with it, you know. All you have to do is take that first step and like a mustard seed your faith can grow to unbelievable heights with God's help."

"But it's taking that first step that's the problem," he said.

Anna joined them, putting a stop to the discussion for the moment, as they started for Noah's cabin.

Over lunch, Sister Ruth read passages from the Bible about baptism starting with Jesus' baptism and ended with 1 Peter 3:21_ "_The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Explaining the verses, she said, "Baptism is not what saves you, but Jesus does ask it of Christians. It's a sign of obedience and our faith in action. The water serves no outward purpose; it's a sign of the change that has taken place inside of us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism would mean nothing if it weren't for His saving work."

Noah nodded to show he understood and spoke.

"He says he wants to be baptized right away," Sully translated, not able to completely hide his displeasure, as he did so, "but he wishes to wait until tomorrow morning so that his granddaughters can be there to see it."

"Tell him I think that's a fine idea. Would he want Brother Henry or Reverend Johnson to perform the honor?"

"He says he wishes for you to baptize him if that is acceptable."

"I can do that. Tell him we'll meet at the river tomorrow then instead of at the cabin."

Having finished their meal, it was time to head back for quilting. Anna again lingered behind.

"Why does he need to get baptized?" Sully asked Sister Ruth as soon as the cabin door closed.

"Weren't you listening to what you translated?"

"I was listening. It just seems like a good way to rub their nose in it. The other Indians on the reservation will know he's a Christian soon enough without displaying it."

"Nobody's trying to rub anybody's nose in it, but obeying God is more important than being concerned with what others think. I daresay if a body were careful to never do anything that might offend somebody, nothing would ever get done."

Sully couldn't argue with that statement, but he didn't think the baptism tomorrow would be uneventful.


	32. Chapter 32

The morning looked as if it would turn out to be another fair day in terms of weather. The sky was an azure blue that would grow deeper as the sun rose higher and the sparse clouds would grow a purer white.

Sister Ruth and Sully met Noah, Anna, and the girls at the designated spot. Noah's waiting by the river had drawn a small crowd. The group of people wasn't a happy one, as they had surmised what Noah was there for.

She recognized faces in the crowd. Cloud Dancing was there and didn't look thrilled and watched with folded arms. He looked as if he wished to put a stop to it but knew it wasn't as simple a matter stopping an adult's baptism as it was a child's. Henry was there as well; Sister Ruth had invited him to it, so that he wouldn't feel slighted, but from the look on his face, he was no doubt feeling slighted anyway since he wasn't chosen to do the baptizing. In fact, Deborah and Esther looked to be the only ones watching with neutral faces.

Sully watched the tense crowd warily as Sister Ruth acknowledged the crowd with a friendly wave and then focused on her reason for being there.

To Anna, she said, "I could have Sully translate what I'll be saying beforehand, but I think Noah would appreciate hearing the words associated with baptism in Apache as it was being done."

She agreed with a nod, but her heavy frown made it clear she was doing it for Noah and not her.

Sister Ruth peeled off her stockings and shoes. Then she turned to Noah and offered her hand to signal she was ready to baptize him and for the practical reason of steadying each other as they waded out into the water. They didn't tread into the center but stuck close to the bank.

Noah was smiling at her, and she knew the smile was not for her as much as it was the happiness at being baptized.

"Have you invited Jesus Christ into your life to be your personal Lord and Savior?" She knew the answer to the question, but she wanted the others to be sure of the reason he was doing this.

Anna repeated the question in Apache.

"Ha'oh. Yes," he answered in both Apache and English

"I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." She had placed her hands on him so that she could lean him back. "Buried in the likeness of his death," she said as she submerged him in the water for about two seconds. She raised him back up, assisted by the buoyancy of the water, finishing with, "and raised in the likeness of His resurrection, to walk in newness of life."

Anna faithfully translated although skepticism was heavily laced in her voice.

As they came out of the water, the same man who'd ripped and burned the pages from her Bible was waiting, and he'd brought friends with him.

"I thought I said it plainly enough that we do not like white women who use trickery to get our elders to follow their god."

Before Sister Ruth had a chance to respond, Sully was in front of her. It looked as if he would have to fight, but Noah stepped beside and angrily spoke to them with his hands as none of the boys were Apache.

They unmistakably made derogatory remarks with their hands in return, but Noah took it in stride. The boys stormed off; the so-called battle won for the moment.

While Sister Ruth got her shoes and stockings back on, the people began to leave with nothing more to see. Cloud Dancing came over to Sully and asked him something.

Sully went over to Ruth. "Cloud Dancing wants to talk to me. Are you going to be okay if I leave you for a minute or two?" He was visibly hesitant after the confrontation they'd just had.

"It's been my experience that young men are often more bark than bite. They've gotten said what they had to say out. That may be the end of it."

"You saw the damage those young men in town did. It's not wise to underestimate them."

"I'll just be going to put my robe back in the wagon and then I'll go straight to Henry's cabin. I don't think I'll run into trouble in that short amount of time."

He looked for Noah, but Noah had already gone back to the cabin to get in dry clothes and get the girls ready for school. I don't suppose you'll have trouble if you stay out in the open, but be alert.

Making it to the wagon without mishap, she pulled off her white robe and draped it over the wagon to dry.

"Did you bring a change of clothes?" Henry asked, causing her to jump a little.

The man had a tendency to sneak up on a person without announcing himself, but she managed to plaster on a friendly smile that she didn't quite feel. "It's only my lower half that got wet. I'm helping them learn some of our dances, and I figured I'd dry out quickly enough being in the sun."

"So you've gotten one of them to convert," he commented abruptly switching the topic.

"You make it sound like some sort of competition," she said, stooping down to wring some of the water from the hem of her dress.

"That wasn't my intention. Do you see any other converts on the horizon?"

"I believe Anna is very close to accepting Christ or she's trying to understand Christianity at any rate."

"I hate to admit it, but you're doing a good job. Some people seem to respond better to a softer touch and you are that. I suppose a woman missionary around here was long overdue."

"It's more than that," she said, standing up straight again. "They're responding to God's love instead of His wrath. Didn't you, brother? How did you come to know Christ?"

Henry looked momentarily stunned at the question than answered, "At a revival when I was a boy. The revivalist was a powerful speaker as I remember. Could paint a picture so vivid you could see the flames of hell dancing before your eyes and feel its heat radiating."

"So then you came to Him out of fear?" she asked, the sympathy evident in her expression.

"Initially, yes. I guess you could say that," he said, sounding more brisk than before, not appreciating the sympathy cast his way. "Oh, I came to know the loving side. Make no mistake about that, but there are many facets to God."

"That's so, but we have to be careful to present all those facets equally. God is angry with the sins we commit, but His deepest desire is that mankind be redeemed from those sins through His saving grace. It's not as if He relishes being angry."

"You have no argument from me, but you've been here for a couple weeks now. Do you really think as a people they're going to find His grace? They're too busy trying to hang onto their heathenistic ways in whatever fashion they can."

"Can you blame them? What if somebody came in and told you had to live like they did before the reservation in every aspect? It's hard; it'd be hard on anybody. One of things you got to realize though is that they're just human beings like anybody else, which means they're as capable of coming to the Lord as anybody else. I get the feeling you put them in a different category."

"Well, you would too if they'd killed your family."

She wasn't sure she'd heard his confession right since he had let it slip so casually, as if discussing the weather. "What'd you say?"

"It's only one of a thousand such stories. I was a circuit preacher at the time, and while I was away preaching at one of the churches on my circuit, my wife and children were massacred by Paiute Indians."

She had sensed a deep-seated anger in him, anyone who spent any time with him could, and now she knew why. "So why'd you become a missionary to them then if you're harboring such resentment?"

"Believe it or not, it was a way for me to try to overcome the hatred I felt, and I thought it wouldn't happen to another family if I converted them, but you can see the success rate I've had with that on both accounts," his tone dripping with bitterness.

"That explains a lot. I don't know that it was a good decision for you to jump into missionary work if those were your motivations. I can tell you I know how hard it is to forgive, but it can be done."

"And what have you had happen to you that's required great forgiveness on your part?"

"Admittedly nothing so tragic as what happened to you, but my late husband and I came close to getting killed by Indians just a few years ago; that they didn't succeed wasn't for lack of trying on their part. My husband was shot in leg from it, but the first thing you got to realize is that these people aren't the ones who massacred your family. There are some very peaceful, friendly tribes out there. Hank and some of the other rabble-rousers in town don't speak for our race, do they?"

"You might have something there, but there's no doubt in my mind that some of these men have killed. The Apaches that you've gotten so close to, they're known for being a fierce tribe. It's more than likely Noah killed settlers maybe even women and children in his youth."

"I don't deny it's a very strong possibility, but the man he was then isn't the man he is now. He's a very kind, patient soul. He took your name-changing with grace. He's defended me against some harsh critics. He hasn't held onto bitterness despite losing his wives to a massacre, but most of all, he's a new man in Christ."

"Maybe I have been too hard on them, but I don't know if I can be any other way. Forgiveness doesn't come easily."

"One thing that really helps me is to pray for them. It's hard to stay angry at someone if you lift them up in prayer. You got to turn those feelings over to God and let Him handle them."

He blew a sigh of frustration. "I will try; I can't make any promises."

"Good, and there's no time to pray like the present," she said with outstretched hands. He took her hands after a pause and she prayed. "Lord, you know Brother Henry's heart. He's still hurting from the loss of his family. Help him deal with his grief. You command us to love our enemies and to forgive. Give him the strength to do so. In Your Son's precious name we pray, amen."

"Amen," he echoed quickly. He looked suddenly uncomfortable that he had revealed so much of himself to her and after a brief comment about being late, he hurried away to his own teaching,

She didn't know if it was the beginning of a kinder, gentler Henry, but she hoped so.


	33. Chapter 33

Sully followed Cloud Dancing inside his cabin.

"You know what I wish to discuss?" Cloud Dancing asked, starting off the conversation.

He nodded. "Sister Ruth."

"And you. I thought you were against her trying to bring us white man's god."

"I was," he said and then clarified quickly but not quite as reassuringly, "I am."

"Then why did you attend the baptism without a word of protest?"

"I know what it looks like, but you have to realize that doesn't mean I agreed with it. And as Sister Ruth told you in the beginning, she's only interested in bringing God. I haven't seen her push any other agenda accept when to refuse would mean getting kicked off the reservation. And for what it's worth, I told her it wasn't the best idea for him to be publically baptized, but that's what she and Noah wanted to do."

"I do know that I did not take her seriously enough. I did not think she would be able to convince adults as easily as the reverend convinced our children."

"Well, she's used to leading people to God…her god. She's been doing it for a long time. Naturally she's pretty good at it. She seems to know instinctively when to push and when to back off. Her arguments are good too."

"But you see why I find this troubling." He held his arms out to showcase their surroundings. "Just when I think they have taken everything from us, that we could not possibly be living any whiter, I get proven wrong."

"I do understand. But it should reassure you that she didn't play any tricks with Noah. Noah wanted to hear what she had to say. He asked her for those morning sessions. She put no pressure on him. She simply shared stories and bible verses, and Noah felt—I don't know—called, a tugging at his heart, something happened to him on his end that seemed beyond anything Sister Ruth did."

Sully could see Cloud Dancing looked puzzled by what he'd said, so he continued, "It doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. How does a person go through a lifetime believing one way and then go another direction completely? I don't know, but I do think it'd be wrong of us to tell Noah he couldn't follow Jesus because he's Apache and the Apaches believe differently. You didn't tell me I couldn't follow the Cheyenne way. At the end of the day, every person had to do what he thinks is right. That's all any of us can do."

Cloud Dancing could see that Sully's thinking was slightly different from where it had been at the beginning. "Are you thinking about going back to the white god?"

"No," he said, "but I do understand Sister Ruth and the reverend better than when I started out."

"It's good to understand other's viewpoints. It creates harmony, but you need to convince her that what she is doing is wrong and quickly. Our people are feeling vulnerable right now with all that has happen to them at the hands of the white, and it makes some look for answers outside of our traditions. I believe that is why Salmon's Head Rising turned to the white religion, and it is not right. I do not want her confusing more of our people."

Sully was feeling very torn. He could see where Cloud Dancing was coming from, but he could see where Sister Ruth was coming from now too. He just wished that he could see who was right. "I'll let her know of your concerns."

Cloud Dancing seemed satisfied with his reply.

Sister Ruth and Sully ended up meeting up on their way to Henry's cabin.

"Is everything okay?" Though she didn't voice it, she knew the conversation had been about her.

"Everything's just fine, but there are a lot of angry feelings right now because as you might imagine the collective feeling is that you're a part of the destruction of their culture the same as Henry or the government. Not that you have anything to fear from Cloud Dancing, but I think it best that you not go anywhere on the reservation unescorted from now on."

She looked about to protest the need for a bodyguard, but she could obviously see the wisdom in it after the incident at the river and with the Bible. "I guess you're right."

They went inside where the women were waiting, but they weren't half as cheerful as they had been the day before. It seemed as if she were back to square one. With a second conversion in their ranks, it was as if they were afraid they would be next like conversion was another white plague to avoid and Sister Ruth was carrying it. She hoped it wouldn't be this way every time, at least she prayed there would be other times.

"We're going to start the day with more dancing. We'll be practicing every morning until the dance Friday. There was some fine dancing done yesterday. By the time Friday rolls around, you'll all be able to dance circles around any lady in Europe." They obviously weren't impressed. "Well, let's get on outside."

She had arranged before she left the reservation yesterday for a flute player; he had been recommended by Noah and had agreed to do it when she'd told him of Noah's recommendation. He was waiting outside and had already found a place to sit in the grass.

The ladies were partnering up, not needing to be told.

Anna went camp up to her. "I will learn this white man's dance," she announced unequivocally

"What changed your mind?" Sister Ruth asked with a friendly smile and a slight cock of her head.

She didn't speak but her eyes went over to a spot in the distance. Sister Ruth followed her gaze and saw that Henry was outside teaching the dances to the men in kind and that among those learning was Noah.

"I see," Sister Ruth said with a knowing smile.

"Don't think that means I will become one of your Jesus followers just to make Noah happy." She held her head up higher. "I may want to marry Noah, but I have my pride."

"I wouldn't be happy if you did. If you tried to become a Christian for Noah's sake, it would mean absolutely nothing."

Anna seemed stunned they agreed on something for once, and she had been operating under the belief that Sister Ruth would do anything for another follower. "I better get learning as I am already behind."

There was an even number of ladies this time, leaving Sully free to instruct, although most of the women had already caught on. Although the added music might throw them off a little.

Sister Ruth looked at the flute player. "Can you play us a tune?"

He placed his fingers over the holes but said, "I only know Indian music not made for your dances. I do not know the music whites know."

"No, I don't guess you would. Well, let me hum you a tune and you see if you can pick it up." She hummed a Schubert tune for him.

He was a fast study and picked it up quickly, and the lesson proceeded.

It gave her an idea for the dance, and before she left for the day, she and Sully tracked Henry down.

"Brother Henry," she called out as he was using his usual purposeful stride and short of running couldn't have caught up.

He turned around and looked as if he dreaded their approach, but he had stopped.

"Don't look so down in the mouth," she said when she reached him. "I ain't going to bite you and neither is Sully. I just wanted to make a suggestion about the dance. Why don't we put together a band made entirely up of Indians?"

She saw the hesitation on his face before he spoke. "I don't know. I was thinking we'd get some people from town to play. Do they know how to play any other music besides Indian music?"

"Their instruments are not so foreign, drums and flutes, if that's what you're worried about. I used a flute player for our dance practice. He did a wonderful job. You wouldn't believe how quickly he caught on."

He sighed. "I suppose it's for the best. We'd probably have a hard time finding musicians in town who were willing to play for a reservation dance anyway."

She smiled. "Good it's settled then. I think it'll do a little to help ease the pain of having to do white dances."

"It couldn't hurt," Sully agreed, "but it's a long way from embracing their culture."

"You do understand that even if I were to work past my issues, it can never go back to the way it was," Henry said, his eyes flitting back and forth between Sister Ruth and Sully. "Hazen wouldn't allow it for one thing."

Sully thought about the words 'it can never go back to the way it was'. Unfortunately, there was a lot of sad truth to that. He had no doubt some of their way of life would survive even with their numbers dwindling, but it would never be like it was before whites swept through the land, either killing them or imprisoning them on a small parcel of land as they took over their homeland.

"You may be right," Sister Ruth acknowledged, "but that don't mean we need to add to their burden if we can help it, and we should try to ease it. I know you got to be concerned with what Hazen thinks because he's your boss, but stop and ask yourself whenever you do whether God would have you do something different."

"Well, if you don't mind, I need to get started on my supper now that my cabin's clear. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Brother Henry." Henry had already started making for his cabin before waiting for her reply, but it was unusual to receive a goodbye at all from him, so Sister Ruth was hardly offended. She turned to Sully. "I do believe the man's human after all."

They walked to the wagon and as Sully helped her in, he asked, "What did he mean he's working on his issues?"

"Well, I don't want to go into details because I don't know if he expected it to be held in confidence or not, but he ain't had the easiest life."

Sully had climbed in and took the reins. "There's hardly anyone without troubles of some sort, especially out here in the west; people often come out looking for a new start, and life ain't easy once they get here."

"You're right. I'm not making excuses for him. Just saying there's a reason for it. This may come as a shock to you," she said with a teasing grin, "but Christians ain't perfect this side of heaven."

Sully grinned back. "I'm flabbergasted."

"We get a little polish on us when we become a new creature in Christ, but there's still some tarnished spots on our crown because we're still in our sinful flesh. Christians are running the race, but it's quite normal to lose sight of the prize at times, and I think that's what happened to Henry, but I see evidence that he trying to focus on the reason he's running again."

"If he becomes more agreeable, I might just have to believe in miracles," Sully commented half jokingly and half seriously.

sss

The week passed by quickly and uneventfully until the evening of the dance arrived.

As Sister Ruth, Michaela, Sully, and Brian came upon the scene, they took note of the scene.

It wasn't a full moon, so they'd brought oil lamps out to illuminate, but the stars never seemed brighter and the lightening bugs were out on droves adding light and charm to the setting; it was as if God were showing His approval by having nature cooperate with the date of the dance.

The men and women were dressed in their everyday calicos and linens, not having the luxury of a Sunday best.

Sister Ruth noticed some of the women wore native jewelry. It was bound to bother Henry, but he wasn't saying a word about it, not even glaring at the offending articles. It showed just how hard he was trying.

There were 5 musicians in the band: 2 flutes, 2 sets of drums, and rattles. The tunes they were playing with these instruments were familiar, but they had probably never been played quite like that before. It ended up being a strange yet beautiful sound.

Anna was with Noah and the girls. She was smiling at the girls, and they were smiling back as they talked to each other until the girls spotted Sister Ruth and came running over.

"Are you having fun?" she asked.

Deborah nodded. "Will you dance with us?"

"Of course I will," she looked at Noah and Anna where she saw that Noah wasn't so quick to turn his attention from Anna. He may have been being polite, but she didn't think so. She smiled to herself, happy to help by keeping the girls occupied.

They joined hands making a circle and did their own version of a waltz. It was far from graceful, but it was fun. She and the girls did a lot of laughing with their impromptu dance.

The dance was by no means obligatory as she saw that the young men and a few other faces were absent, but the people who had attended seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. Cloud Dancing had come and danced a few dances with Michaela. Brian had been quite popular with the young girls of the reservation. Anna and Noah had put their new dancing skill to the test with each other.

After a couple hours, the dance began to wind to a close, and Henry hadn't danced all evening. He had sat and gave his usual glower most of the evening.

"You dance, Brother Henry?" she asked as she approached.

He got a little more starch in his spine at the question. "Of course I dance. I taught the men, didn't I?"

"Well, if there ain't nothing wrong with your legs, come dance with me before it's time to call it a night."

He obligingly followed her out to where the other dancers were and placed his hands in the obligatory positions but not without mentioning, "It's quite unseemly for a lady to ask a gentleman to dance."

Sister Ruth tried to keep a straight face, but failed as she said, "I'll keep that in mind in the future."

Rather than getting mad, he smiled back.


	34. Chapter 34

Noah's lessons continued with Anna sitting in on them absorbing the information. They covered all sorts of topics for Christian living everything from prayer to fellowship. Knowing he couldn't read the Bible, Sister Ruth read a piece of it to him every day. Henry sometimes joined them for these sessions and would add his twos cents in only occasionally, and when he did, he tried to say it more kindly than before though she could see it was it was an effort at time with his clenched fists and pressed lips.

One particular morning as she came in, she noted that Anna greeted her with a smile rather than the frown Sister Ruth had grown accustomed to.

The confusion she felt must have shown on her face because Noah was quick to explain it.

"Anna accepted Christ yesterday evening," Sully translated unable to keep all traces of disapproval out of his voice.

There were tears in Anna's eyes as she nodded in confirmation.

Sister Ruth went over and hugged her to show how pleased she was at the news.

"Does this mean we can be friends?" Anna asked tentatively, knowing she hadn't always been the kindest to her.

"More than friends we'll be sisters," she answered with a bright smile.

Noah spoke and Sully translated, "He wants to know if it was okay for him to explain salvation to her as he's a new Christian."

"Of course it was okay. It's the job of every Christian to help spread the gospel. I can't reach every lost soul, and I believe God places people on our path at certain times in our lives to accomplish His will. The longer you're a Christian, the more you'll come to realize that while we still have the freedom to choose to follow His commands and promptings as Christians, God is upholding us in His hand whatever we choose and making plans for us that far surpass the plans we have for ourselves."

"It's not that I wasn't listening to you," Anna said to Sister Ruth. "I was, and I'm sure it helped me understand. Maybe it was just hearing it in Apache."

"That could be," Sister Ruth agreed. "Faith comes by hearing. I wish it were possible for you both to have Bibles written in your own language. The Bible needs to be translated into so many languages yet, it's probably impossible to give it a number, but I have faith that one day it will be. In the meantime, I hope it's enough to hear it in English."

"God will help make it enough I am sure. And although Sully has done so well using sign, I can put the English verses into Apache for Noah to hear. Bik'ehgo'ihi'ṉań ni'gosdzáń biká' nṉee dázhǫ́ bił daanzhǫǫhíí bighą biYe' dała'áhi yaa yinłtįį, áík'ehgo dahadíń bosdląądihíí doo da'íl´įį hileeh da, áídá' ihi'ṉaa doo ngonel'ąą dahíí yee hiṉaa doleeł."

Noah nodded through her words and looked moved by them.

"That sounds so beautiful. What'd you say?" Sister Ruth asked.

"I said, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

"And it was beautiful. Should we get down to studying?"

Noah spoke to Anna and then she excused herself citing wanting to walk the girls to school as her reason. The girls who'd been getting dressed came out, and they left together.

"This sounds serious," she said to Sully, "if he wanted Anna gone." She had a feeling she already knew what it was about.

Noah looked nervous as he spoke with his hands.

"He wished to talk to you alone to share some more good news. He says he has learned to love Anna for her fire and her strength. She is good to the children and they like her in return. She is not too hard on the eyes, and it means a lot to him that she now shares his new faith. All these things make him think of taking her as his wife, and he has told Anna such, but he feels he needs your permission to marry her as you had an agreement of sorts between you."

"Tell him I appreciate that thought, but I couldn't be more delighted for them. I think they'll be very happy together." It was as Sister Ruth had suspected. She had seen the looks exchanged between them through the morning that was more than brotherly/sisterly looks.

"He wants you to know that you will always be a special friend to him."

She went over to his him and grasped his hand warmly. "He can count on my friendship. Tell him I hope I'm invited to the wedding."

Noah nodded when Sully translated.

Anna knocked cautiously on the door. Sister Ruth opened it and gave her another hug as she entered the room.

Anna seemed relieved that there were no hard feelings. Although their friendship was minutes old, she already seemed to value it.

"When will the wedding take place?" Sister Ruth asked.

Anna translated to Noah and then answered herself. "When we get to our age, there is not much reason to wait. We were thinking of a week. We would love nothing more than to have an Apache wedding ceremony though. You have an influence with Mr. Wray, especially as of late. We hope that you will talk to him and help him see it is not evil."

"I don't know if I have that much influence with him, but I'm certainly willing to give it a try. I'll see if I can't go find him right now."

Once they were out the door, Sully said, "You know the others are going to blame you for Anna's conversion even if it was through Noah because if you hadn't converted Noah then he wouldn't have converted her."

"That's okay. I know I ain't the most popular person on the reservation. I ain't quite recovered from the hit I took with Noah, but at least things have settled down in town. No one's been openly unkind anyway. I've become a nuisance they've come to accept as a part of the town."

"That's how it generally seems to work around here," he agreed. "But getting back to the people at the reservation, they're also not going to be happy because this means there'll be 3 children who will most likely grow up to know Jesus with Noah and Anna as their grandparents."

"That is my fondest wish for the baby as it was his mother's, and I'm sure she wanted her nieces to know Jesus too. I feel like I've fulfilled my promise to her now or rather God has. I didn't understand her Apache prayer, but I have a feeling she prayed for all 3 of them before she died."

Sister Ruth and Sully had come across Henry. He was sitting outside in the shade of the church, eating a simple breakfast of cheese and bread by himself.

"I thought we were due for another clash," he said with a teasing quality in his voice when they reached him. "We've gone too long without fighting. What is it, Sister Ruth?"

"Noah and Anna wish to be married," she told him.

"Oh, is that wise? Noah is a Christian now. He should have a wife who is a Christian even if that's a tall order around here. I realize they're the same tribe, but if she worships idols or spirits or even if she doesn't worship anything, she will be a stumbling block like Solomon's wives were for him. Spouses need to be able to support each other in their walk."

"I agree," Sister Ruth acknowledged, "but the good news is that Anna has made the decision to follow Christ."

Henry didn't seem particularly overjoyed at the information. "You think the decision is genuine?"

"I believe so. She made a comment to me before all this happened that she wouldn't follow God to make anybody happy, not even Noah. He simply put it to her in a way that she could grasp, maybe even using elements of their own religion to explain."

"In that case, give them my congratulations. I know Noah could use help with the children especially when his grandson can be weaned. Our very first church wedding, I'm looking forward to it."

"Funny you should mention that. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Henry braced himself, knowing from her tone that he wouldn't like what she was about to ask.

"They want to have an Apache wedd—"

"No, absolutely not," Henry interrupted.

"Don't be so quick to say no. Just hear my argument. What's the harm of them having an Apache wedding ceremony? Think how much superstitious nonsense goes with our wedding ceremonies, the something borrowed, something blue. Theirs might even be less superstitious. The only thing that really matters about a wedding is that a man and woman are showing their promise to each other and to God to be together until their life's end. And with their newfound faith, I'm more than sure that they'll want to include God in some way."

"Do you even know what an Apache wedding ceremony is like?" Henry asked.

"No, but we'll find out if you let them have it," Sister Ruth said with a grin.

"I've never been to an Apache wedding," Sully said, "but if it's anything like a Cheyenne wedding, there's nothing to worry about. And I'm sure they're not going to want to do anything displeasing to God."

"Have Anna discuss the details with me, and I'll see if it will be acceptable," Henry relented.

"You're a good man," Sister Ruth said, giving his shoulder a friendly squeeze before she and Sully left to tell Anna and Noah the good news.


	35. Chapter 35

Sully had been right in that the Indians had got angrier at Sister Ruth when there was a second baptism, but Anna had become her staunch defender, being quick to reprimand any of the ladies who even looked at her a little funny during the lessons.

Henry had agreed to the Apache ceremony when Anna had outlined the details, and the day of the wedding arrived and the looks of approval among the people of the reservation were many. A little respect for their culture went a long way, and she had a feeling that they would be listening a lot better on Sundays. It also helped that Henry's messages had gotten gentler with a little more love thrown in, making the listening easier.

The couple looked handsome in their wedding clothes. Henry had loaned Noah his own Sunday best. Anna wore a fine buckskin dress that she had managed to hide when the reservation had been purged of such clothing. She looked twice as lovely in her native clothing. The dress she wore was a long dark brown buckskin. The fringe on the sleeves almost reached the hem of the skirt, and there was a high seam like an empire waist and from it dangled long beads. It was a simple design overall, but it was stunning in its simplicity.

Although most of the wedding guests were Indians, there were a handful of townspeople there. Henry had brought the pews outside for people to sit on and once everybody was seated. Sully and Michaela carried a large basin that was made of buffalo hide up to the front of the pews and then set it down. Many of Anna and Noah's friends helped carry pitchers of fresh water that they emptied into this basin. When it was filled and everyone was seated again, Noah and Anna stepped into the basin, holding hands. Henry and Sister Ruth went up to the front and acknowledged the matrimony with blessings they had prepared, normally a job held by parents.

"May God bless your life together and may you grow in your love for each other and your love for Him," Henry said.

"The secret to a happy marriage and a happy home is to love and put God above all else, including each other. May your marriage set a shining example to your grandchildren and neighbors, reflecting the way Christ loved the church, giving Himself up for her," Sister Ruth said.

It may not have been the most romantic or longest ceremony Sister Ruth had ever seen as the couples didn't make vows to each other or seal anything with a kiss, but she enjoyed it all the same. The symbolism to the ceremony was very nice and she supposed they showed their love and assent by the hand holding and the climbing into the basin.

Some women cried at wedding, but Sister Ruth always felt like singing to release some of the joy bubbling in her soul at God bringing two people together. She had wanted Noah and Anna to be able to join her in the celebration, so she had taught them a hymn over the week and they sang with her, along with the couple others who knew it as it was a very recent hymn.

"Tell me the old, old story Of unseen things above,  
of Jesus and His glory,Of Jesus and His love.  
Tell me the story simply, As to a little child;  
for I am weak and weary, And helpless and defiled.

Tell me the old, old story.  
Tell me the old, old story.  
Tell me the old, old story,  
Of Jesus and His love.

Tell me the story slowly, That I may take it in-  
That wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin.  
Tell me the story often, For I forget so soon;  
The early dew of morning Has passed away at noon.

Tell me the old, old story.  
Tell me the old, old story.  
Tell me the old, old story,  
Of Jesus and His love. "

Most of the Indians were frowning at these intrusions of God into the ceremony, but with the ritual of the basin being over, the feasting and dancing got underway, and the blessings and song forgotten and were replaced with smiles.

An Apache wedding ceremony came with feasting that would last a few days, but Henry wouldn't hear of extending it beyond a day. However, the guests had all brought dishes and true to her word, Grace was supplying them with a little extra, making it quite a spread.

After some of the well-wishing died down, Sister Ruth took her turn.

"You make a lovely bride," Sister Ruth said to Anna.

"Thank you. I just hope I will make a lovely grandmother as well. I never raised girls before."

"I'm sure that you will be, and Star Dancer would be so happy to see all this taking place, knowing you and Noah will raise her son to know Jesus." She noticed a distressed look on Anna's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I must remember that there is no reason to fear the dead. We are not supposed to say their names, visit their grave, or even think of them if we can help it. To do so would invite revenge from the dead. Now I know that is not true, but it will take some time to believe it."

"All kinds of things get ingrained in us that have to get out when it ain't right. My grandma used to tell me that it was bad luck to sing at the table and I know it's not so, but it still gives me pause," she said with a chuckle. "I make myself sing at the table sometimes just to prove to myself it's hogwash. I share that with you to let you know we're all works in progress. Well, you and Noah ain't got you nothing to eat yet, have you?"

"Not yet. To use an English expression, I could eat a horse. It was silly of me, but I was so nervous I could hardly eat earlier."

"Who ain't a little nervous on their wedding day? I made ya'll a cake. I know it probably ain't part of your tradition to have one, but that don't hurt the flavor none."

Anna smiled. "We'll be sure to get a piece." She translated their conversation for Noah as they made their way to the food.

Sister Ruth went over to Sully and Michaela next. "Beautiful, wasn't it? I don't see it catching on in our culture though. Most brides would faint at the thought of getting their wedding dresses wet."

"Unfortunately, it's just one more custom that's going to die out," Sully said.

"Well, let's be thankful that it's alive for now," Michaela said. "I don't know about you two, but I'm ready to get in line to eat."

They followed her to the table. After most of the guest had finished eating, Noah came up to them and spoke with his hands.

"He says if you ever change your mind about getting married, he will take you as a second wife."

Her mouth dropped open, and she was about to launch into a sermon on polygamy, but she could see a smile tugging at Noah's lips and the humor gleaming in his eyes. "Tell him I don't think he can handle his first wife."

Noah let out a bark of laughter when Sully translated and then returned to his bride.

"Just think that could have been you," Michaela teased.

"Naw, I believe things happened the way God intended," Sister Ruth said.

Although she and Noah hadn't found love, there seemed to be a love blossoming between at least one white and Indian. Cloud Dancing hadn't joined them because he was deep in conversation with Dorothy and the way they looked at each other spoke of people in love, but she wondered if it would be as simple matter for them to be together with Cloud Dancing being forced to stay on the reservation. She made a mental note to add the couple to her prayer list although she wanted him to find God first.

When evening got close, Sister Ruth sought out Deborah and Esther who had been playing a game of tag.

"Are you happy to have a grandmother now?" she asked.

The girls' faces were practically shining with happiness, needing no real verbal response.

"Very," Deborah answered.

"Well, are you ready to ride in the wagon? It's time we were starting for home."

"Yes!" the girls cried together. They had been granted passes to stay at the homestead for a few days where they would ride in for school with Sully and Sister Ruth, and they looked as if they were about to burst with excitement at the prospect.

"Let's say goodbye to your grandparents then," she said, taking their hands.

However when she looked around for them, they were gone. Noah and Anna had snuck away unnoticed to consummate the marriage as was the custom in their tribe.

Sister Ruth smiled to herself. Maybe there was a touch of romance in the ceremony after all.


	36. Chapter 36

Sully didn't like leaving Sister Ruth to attend church on the reservation alone because he still didn't trust the hotheaded bunch of young men at the reservation. It had been 3 weeks since the confrontation at the baptism, and all they had done was cast hateful glances her way, but he didn't think it was the end of it by a long shot. Michaela didn't mind taking Brian and Katie to the service now with the change in Henry's style, so they all attended the church at the reservation.

Noah and Anna sat so close to each other that it wasn't hard to pinpoint them as newlyweds. Anytime Henry quoted directly from the Bible, she whispered the Apache translation in his ear. Although Noah had always respectfully listened to the services though he didn't understand any of it, she knew he counted it a joy to have Anna be able to do that for him.

Sister Ruth saw a white man she didn't recognize slip into the corner about halfway through the sermon. She stole looks at him every so often, but he didn't' seem to be there to cause any trouble. His full attention appeared to be on the service as he listened to Henry with an interested expression.

After the service when she had worked her way to the door, she asked Henry, "Do you know the man that came in?"

Henry took a look at the man, who was hanging back, letting the others leave first. He shook his head. "Never seen him before."

Sister Ruth moved to the side so that the people could continue to filter through. After taking their turns shaking Henry's hand, Sully, Michaela, and Brian stood with her. It didn't take long to get to the end of the line as the Indians were always eager to get out of the church.

"Fine sermon, Mr. Wray," the man said as he shook Henry's hand. "I'm Lucas Dunn with the Presbyterian Mission Society for the Betterment of Indians. We like to visit our missions periodically to see the needs you have and just to get a general idea of how things are going."

"Ah, I see." He gestured to Sister Ruth. "This is Sister Ruth. She's a recent addition. She got on by going through the Office of Indian Affairs."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. "A woman to teach domestic skills and relate to the women and children was sorely needed. It just tells me how true it is that our Heavenly Father knows of our needs before we even ask. I admire you already. You're a brave woman to want to work with these people. I'm sure you've heard stories that make your hair stand on end."

"It's not so much bravery as a love for all of God's children."

"Amen," Lucas said with a smile.

"And this is Mr. Sully and his family," Henry said, continuing the introductions. "He mostly works with Sister Ruth. He knows a lot about Indians and helps with communication problems."

Lucas had already guessed as much by his dress. "How delightful. I'm sure you're a great help to Mr. Wray and Ms. Ruth."

"I try to be," Sully answered with polite reserve.

"I'm going to observe you in the morning, Ms. Ruth, and you, Mr. Wray, in the afternoon if that suits. The report is for our own records but also so the Office of Indian Affairs can see what the mission is accomplishing; it's nothing to be nervous about. Then I'll catch the evening train, so I'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"Well, you're welcome to join me for lunch and stay the night if you need a place to sleep," Henry said.

"You're very kind, Mr. Wray. I'll do that," he moved beside Henry, so that he'd be ready to follow.

"Well, I stay with my good friends here who don't live on the reservation," Sister Ruth said, "so Sully and I will see you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it," he told them with a friendly wave.

sss

Lucas saw Sully and Sister Ruth coming out of Noah and Anna's cabin the following morning.

"If you don't mind my asking what were you all doing in there?" he asked

"We meet with a Christian couple every morning but Sundays to study scripture," Sister Ruth explained.

He seemed surprised. "You mean an Indian couple?"

"Is there a problem?" Sully asked.

"No, no problem," he assured Sully. "I'm just surprised is all. There aren't many reservations that can boast even one Indian giving their heart to Jesus. Most of the time it's a polite interest in Christianity at best."

"Well, we've done a lot to them as a race. It ain't fair to God, but they associate Jesus with the things done to them," Sister Ruth said, "but you can believe this couple's going to stick with Him through the hardships. They've always got such a hungry look when His Word is being read to them. They soak it in like sponges, trying to memorize every word because the Sunday morning service and their time with me are the only times they get to hear it, not being able to read the Bible on their own."

Lucas nodded as he jotted down some notes in the notebook he was carrying.

The door opened and Anna joined them. The four walked to Henry's cabin without further conversation.

Lucas sat down on the bed where he was out of the way but still had a good vantage point.

The women's quilting skills had improved tremendously and so mornings were now being devoted to needlework. Henry had been the one to suggest needlework, but Sister Ruth was using the skill to help them learn their letters. Which unlike quilting and needlepoint was a skill that actually made sense to her because if they learned to read, they could read the Bible if and when they became Christians. She knew Anna appreciated it for that reason, and she was eager to learn to make the letters.

Sister Ruth started off by passing her sampler around on which she had finished the letter M.

"It is like that first letter that looks like a tipi," said one woman as she pointed to the A on her sampler.

Another woman nodded, able to see it, "Except that it is two tipis and no line."

"What words in your language start with M?" Anna asked.

"Messiah, Master, Moses, Mary, manna, mercy," Sister Ruth answered not only because she wanted to use any opportunity available to help them learn about the Bible but because biblical words were usually the first to pop into her head.

"Mmm," Anna said out loud, isolating the sound.

The women had grown comfortable enough with the lessons that they chatted with each other when their full concentration wasn't needed and the morning went by quickly enough with Lucas scrawling the occasional note. He wasn't obtrusive at all, but the afternoon was much lighter to Sister Ruth and Sully, knowing their every move wasn't being recorded for Hazen to read.

Much like the people in town, the women had seemed to come to accept her presence as a nuisance they had to learn to live with, and they politely gave her goodbyes in English at the end of the day, which Sister Ruth returned in their native languages, having learned how to say goodbye in all their languages between Anna and Sully. It was a courtesy they seemed to appreciate though they said little about it.

She and Sully had gotten to the wagon when she remembered. "I left my needlepoint in the cabin. I was going to take it with me and get started on the N."

They both went back to retrieve it, and they hadn't been away from Henry's cabin for more than 10 minutes, but plenty of damage had been done in their absence. The quilts had been slashed with knives and a few of the samplers were burning in the fire.

Sully circled the room for signs of the intruders even though he knew they'd already sent their message.

Sister Ruth shook her head sadly. "All the ladies' hard work destroyed in a matter of minutes."

"Sister Ruth, I just thought of something. Could we practice letters at the Bible st—" began Anna, but she was unable to finish when she saw the damage. Her surprise changed to anger. "I know the boys who did this."

Sully nodded. "They haven't exactly been keeping their anger a secret."

"They are not going to act like this while I live on this reservation." She spun on her heels in search of them.

Sully and Sister Ruth followed. Anna found them hanging out at the river, skipping rocks and looking very proud of themselves. Sully and Sister Ruth hung back while Anna went down to confront them.

She yelled at them in English since they were of various tribes. "You boys are stupid! You want soldiers sniffing around here again, watching and listening and spying?"

"How is that any different than what your new friends are doing, _Anna,_"said their leader, the Arapahoe, using her white name with mocking derision.

"Because Sister Ruth is a gentle woman who will not wring your scrawny necks like they deserve to be wrung. Even Henry as bad-tempered as he can sometimes be would not resort to violence, but probably will call the soldiers back in if he thinks you will do harm to Sister Ruth, and you can believe the soldiers enjoy violence."

"We are not scared of pain," one of them remarked.

"How noble you are," Anna scoffed. "To make that decision for the whole reservation."

"We cut and burned some white crafts? Soldiers would come in for that?" another asked.

"Have they ever needed an excuse before?" Anna returned. "Not only have you hurt Sister Ruth by your action, you hurt your people. We have spent many hours working on them. Every woman was to have a quilt in her cabin when we were through. Now we must start over. You have added to our work. You think to show your hate for white things but you just show hate that will only hurt our people!"

Some of the boys were starting to look kowtowed, but it was obvious Anna was only getting warmed up.

Sully and Sister Ruth saw Henry and Lucas coming toward them. She and Sully went out to meet them to lead them away from the arguing, making their way towards the wagon.

Sister Ruth immediately launched into conversation to hide any of the sounds from the river. "I never pictured myself as a schoolteacher, but I feel like one some days. I ain't never had to teach nobody to read before. My own learning to read is kind of foggy I was so young, so I hope I'm doing it right."

"You're doing just fine. Combining needlepoint with reading skills was good thinking," Lucas said. "I must say this is the most successful operation I have ever observed. The genuine conversions are few. They go through the motion sometimes and then before you know it there's an uprising and missionaries get hurt or worse. I don't know what you're doing around here, Mr. Wray, but keep on doing it."

"I can't take the credit," Henry said. "Sister Ruth is the driving force behind the 2 conversions we've had and creating the respectful attitude."

"Really?" he said, turning his eye back on Sister Ruth. "I know it's only 2 adults, but even saving one is hard. How have you done it?

"I couldn't have done anything without Sully's help, and I haven't saved them; The Lord Jesus has, but I know one thing that's hurting our witness. You're sending the message that they need to be white to be saved. You have to stop clouding the message with an agenda, stop holding to the philosophy of the Office of Indian Affairs."

He nodded in a thoughtful manner. "I see what you mean. We have to remember we're God's missionaries first and employees of the Office of Indian Affairs second. Helping them assimilate into white society is not necessarily God's plan."

"Exactly. Nothing wrong with their languages. God gave it to them at the tower of Babel, didn't he? Nothing wrong with their culture either if it's not going against anything in the Bible. Another thing we got to remember is patience, brother, lots of patience. Some people are years coming to the Lord. Doesn't mean the mission work ain't accomplishing nothing."

"Well, you've given me some interesting ideas to think about and take back with me, and anyone can see the success you've had here. I'll be in touch." He took out his pocket watch. "I didn't realize it was getting so late. I've got a train to catch. It's been a real pleasure," he said as he hurried to get on the horse he'd rented from Robert E.

"Well, that's something," Sully said when he'd ridden out into the distance. "I don't know if he's got the authority to do anything if he's convinced of the rightness of letting them have their culture, but it's something."


	37. Chapter 37

The young men at the reservation had intended to send the message that the women didn't have to have anything to do with whites or their culture, but the destruction of their work had had a rallying effect instead. The women worked twice as hard and fast on the quilts and needlework. They seemed somewhat ashamed of the boys' behavior and were finally treating Sister Ruth as a friend instead of just an authority figure.

Sully occasionally had work to do away from the reservation. Sister Ruth spent those days in town visiting with friends. She always made sure to stop by the saloon.

"You got all them Indians singing Amazing Grace yet?" Hank asked with one of his irritating grins on one such day.

Sister Ruth handed him the usual amount to pay for Helen's time. "If you're trying to ask me how the work's going at the reservation, it's going just fine, brother."

Helen came over and led Sister Ruth to her room. She never got heavy-handed about religion with Helen. They mostly chatted about casual, everyday things that maybe didn't have a lot of meaning on the surface, but it meant the world to Helen because she didn't often get that kind of conversation. It meant even more because she knew she was paying to have these chats.

When the 30 minutes was about up, Helen said, "If all church people were like you, Sister Ruth, I don't think the churches could hold all the people that would fill it."

"Church people are still people, not saints. We make plenty of mistakes, myself included. But the lovely thing about church is that it's a place to hear the Word of God preached and explained to us to help us on the road to becoming sanctified, and in a good church, it's a place where believers are supporting and encouraging their brothers and sisters in their daily walk with God. Not to mention nothing is quite as wonderful as a chance to worship and glorify Him."

"Except when you're a misfit like me, they'll all be staring at me and whispering behind my back if not to my face. Judging me for what I do for a living."

"They just have to get used to your being there is all, but those things are less likely to happen at the reservation church, and you could sit by me like you did at the picnic. I promise nobody there bites, well except maybe some of the young ones."

"I'll think about it," she promised with a smile.

Their time was up, and she walked Sister Ruth through the saloon, but their path became impeded by a fight going on.

"You don't hit my girls," Hank said, his face a mask of fury. "I don't care how much you've paid." He pushed the man in question to the floor.

A quick glance revealed one of the saloon girls was sporting a black eye and red marks up and down her arms from being held to tight that were bound to become bruises. The other girls were soothing her and holding a steak over her eye.

The man got up and swung, and Hank took a punch in his nose, which only fueled his rage. The man took a hit to the stomach and the jaw, flooring him once again. Then Hank picked him up by his clothing and threw him through the swinging doors.

Hank turned around and rolled his eyes when he saw her standing there.

"Sit down and let me clean you up a little," Sister Ruth ordered.

He looked like he was considering tossing her out too, but then he took a seat.

"You ain't all bad. You ain't all good, but you ain't all bad," she said, using her handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face.

"Did you ever think maybe I just don't want them damaging the merchandise?" he asked, clearly not happy that Sister Ruth had saw any good in him.

"There's plenty of vulnerable girls out here with no family or means of supporting themselves. You could talk some of them into this kind of lifestyle easy enough."

"And have," he mentioned.

"My point is the women can be replaced. I know some saloon owners who are too far gone to care about another human being even if they are their merchandise as you put it."

"Just don't go thinking you can clean me up on the inside cause I let you take care of a bloody nose," he grumbled.

Sister Ruth smiled. "I wish it were so easy, but the Lord's the only one who can do that, and He won't do it if you don't ask Him to." His face and beard cleaned off, she gave him the handkerchief. "Dr. Mike's expecting me to ride back to the homestead with her, so I'll see you and Helen next week if not before then."

He stuffed the bloody handkerchief in his pocket, grumbling and muttering about Sister Ruth and religious people in general.

sss

Sister Ruth felt unexplainably tired just walking between the saloon to the clinic.

Michaela had already picked up Katie from Dorothy. She'd been quietly playing with the blocks that Sully had made for her, but when she saw Sister Ruth, she abandoned them and came running over and tugged on her skirt as she called pleadingly, "Ru, Ru."

"Hold on, honey. Let Ru sit down first." Seated on a chair, she let Katie climb onto her lap.

Michaela had been closing and locking the windows and had just got a good look at Sister Ruth "You don't look like you're feeling very well. You look a little pale, in fact."

"I'm alright," she said, rubbing the area around her collar bone. I must've eat something that disagreed with me is all."

"And you're in a sweat. You haven't been doing any heavy work, have you?"

"Naw, just the heat and my age, I reckon. And there was a little excitement at the saloon. I'm sure that didn't help improve things, but I'm fine."

"Let me be the judge of that. It wasn't that hot today, and that's not that normal," she said as she went for her doctor's bag.

Katie, seeing her mom with the bag, seemed to know that was her cue to go back to the blocks, and she climbed down from Sister Ruth's lap.

"I'm not sick," Sister Ruth protested.

"You're probably not, but I'd feel better if I checked you out," she said, opening the bag.

"I suppose it won't hurt nothing," Sister Ruth acquiesced.

Michaela put on her stethoscope and put the bell over her chest. It was just as she had feared; Sister Ruth's heart was pounding furiously.

Memories of Maude flashed through her mind, and she had to remind herself that she had plenty of digitalis on hand now. There was still reason to worry though. It had been her experience that older couples sometimes followed each other, dying days or months apart, but she wasn't going to lose another friend to death so soon if she could help it. "You have to go to bed right this minute."

Sister Ruth's eyes widened in surprise.

"You can use one of the clinic beds," she continued, "until Sully can help get you in the wagon and home."

"I know better than to argue with my doctor, I guess," she said, trying to put on a smile as she followed Michaela upstairs.


	38. Chapter 38

"What's wrong?" Sully asked as he came through the door. He'd seen the wagon still there when he'd come through town to drop the visiting politician back at the hotel like Michaela knew he would. He also saw no immediate patient in the vicinity and then there was the tight look of worry on Michaela's face.

"It's Sister Ruth. She's having some heart trouble. I gave her some digitalis, but there's not anything else I can do for her except to let her rest."

"You saying she could die?" he asked with an expression that now mirrored her worry.

"Sometimes patients recover with rest and sometimes they…" she couldn't finish the sentence, but Sully didn't need her to.

"That's exactly why I don't serve God," he said with a touch of anger on his face. "He obviously doesn't care what happens down here one way or the other."

"Sister Ruth wouldn't be happy to hear you say that," Michaela said gently.

"It's how I feel. Look at all the family and friends He's taken from us in just in a few short years: Charlotte, Anthony, Kid Cole, our unborn child, and now Sister Ruth. Who's next on His list? When will it end?"

"When Jesus calls us all home," Michaela answered simply.

Ignoring her answer, he asked, "Is it okay for her to be moved or does she need to stay here?"

"It'll be best to get her home. It's nothing I really need to monitor. She just needs to keep taking the digitalis and get lots of rest."

"Can I talk to her before we go?"

"Of course, but don't say anything that could upset her. Any kind of excitement good or bad could get her heart beating too fast again."

"In other words, don't talk religion or politics."

"Precisely and don't talk too long. I don't want her to overtire." He started up the stairs. "But if you have anything to say to her that you really need to say now's the time. We never know how much time any of us have left, but that's especially true with somebody with this condition."

He tapped gently on the door when he got upstairs.

"Come in," she called.

"I hear you need a ride," he said as softly and cheerfully as he could.

"Looks that way," she said. "Although I think this staying in bed nonsense is plain silly."

"If Michaela told you to stay in bed, she knows what she's talking about," he said, pulling up a chair to her bedside.

"I wonder when she'll let me go back to the reservation."

"Hard to say. You probably need to take it one day at a time. I'm sure God wants you in full health when you're doing His work."

There was an awkward pause, but Sister Ruth could see that Sully had a lot on his mind. "I admit I'm a little tired, but other than that I feel right as rain. You can say what you got to say."

"It's nothing that can't wait," he said. He didn't want to take a chance on upsetting her and to have a deep conversation right now would be like admitting that this was her final moments.

"You sure about that? She didn't tell me so, but I know there's a chance I could die."

He neither confirmed nor denied her statement, but that said enough.

"You blaming God for this?" she asked.

Sully saw no point in trying to lie to her. "Who should I blame? I just don't understand why you have such peace about you. You were in God's will. I heard you say so and you got a family to follow Jesus and this is how He's going to repay you? It ain't right."

"I can't pretend to know the mind of God, but if He's about to call me home, that's the absolute right thing to do, and I have to accept it even when I don't understand it. I'm not always so outwardly peaceful. I can get rattled sometimes. Kid Cole's death shook me up, but I have an abiding peace where it counts. The storms of life can rock me, but they can't drown me, not with Jesus in my boat. But I worry about you. You ain't got that kind of peace in your life. I think if you lost Dr. Mike it would destroy the little peace you've got."

Sully knew what she was saying was true. He couldn't bear it if he lost another wife, if he lost Michaela. She was his anchor in the storms of life.

"You ever hear the hymn 'It Is Well with My Soul'?"

He shook his head but couldn't repress a smile. The woman had more hymns running through her brain than a hymnal.

"It ain't an old one, come out just this year or last, I believe. Sad story behind it too." Not feeling up to singing, she recited the first verse for him. "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know, It is well, it is well, with my soul."

"It's real nice," he said placatingly though it was obvious he didn't believe a word of it.

"It touches me every time I hear or sing the song. God's not some detached, cold god looking down from His throne at our problems. I don't know why people paint Him as such. He sent His Son to us, taking on our very form. The Bible says Jesus wept when Lazarus' sisters were grieving over his death. That means He weeps when we weep. He shed His own blood so that we could receive pardon from Him."

Sister Ruth always made it sound so simple. Like if you just reached out to God, He would reach back.

It was like she had access to his silent thoughts as she continued,"The Bible promises that if we seek, we shall find. If you take that first step of faith, you won't be disappointed. Life ain't never a cake walk in a fallen world. You're going to cry, you're going to feel anger at the injustice, but if you walk with God, you're also going to have the truest friend you ever had and a comforter, a father, who will show you the true meaning of this imperfect life. You do not have because you do not ask."

That also was true. He never had asked. He blamed God for all the ugly, sad things he had seen, but he had not once talked to Him about it, sought out answers in His Word. He hadn't asked anything from Him or given Him even half the chance he had given to the Cheyenne's beliefs. Maybe it was as simple as Sister Ruth said. Maybe if he reached out to God, God would reach back.

He prayed the first real prayer of his life silently. _Lord, Sister Ruth seems to think all I need to do is ask Your forgiveness and trust in You to take care of things. Well, Lord, this is me asking You to show Yourself to me. Help my unbelief._

He was startled when the door opened with the end of his prayer. Katie, who had recently learned to open doors, was lugging the Bible Sister Ruth had forgotten downstairs. She returned it to the owner with the words, "God love you." Then she looked at Sully and said again, "God love you."

Most likely Katie was only repeating words she had heard Sister Ruth say, but he was struck with the reality of God in that moment. He knew in his heart that God was sending him a message through his daughter. "Yes, He does, Katie. And He loves you too." As he picked her up and held her in his arms, he again prayed silently. _Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry I've done so much running. I want to walk with You. Forgive me and save me through Your Son Jesus. Amen._

The door opened again. "I'm sorry. I was getting some quilts to put into the wagon and she came running in."

She saw the tears now running down her husband's face, and she rushed over thinking something was wrong with Sister Ruth.

"I've taken Jesus as my savior," he explained to Michaela before she could ask what was wrong.

Tears of happiness began to flow from her own eyes, and she crouched down to hug him. "You don't know how happy this makes me. How I've prayed that you would."

He smiled, and they shared a salty but joyful kiss.

Sister Ruth had tears of her own as she said, "God is so good. All of the time He's good."

Robert E peered through the open door about that time. They must have looked quite a sight.

Michaela saw him first. "Grace isn't in labor, is she?"

"Not yet. I know you picked up Katie and I saw you hadn't left yet and just wondered if you needed Grace and me to look after her, but I see I'm interrupting."

"Not at all," Michaela said, standing up straight. "Sully just turned his life over to God."

Sully stood up too, lifting Katie up with him.

Robert E had never evangelized to him, but it was clear to see from his smile that he was overjoyed, and he came in the room and shook his hand warmly. "I'm glad to hear it, Sully, glad to hear it."

"Your timing's perfect," Sully said. "Sister Ruth needs bed rest, and I could use some help getting her into the wagon and into bed at home if you've got time to do it."

He looked at Sister Ruth, who he hadn't seen earlier from his angle at the door.

"It's a lot of fuss over nothing," she said with a smile at the concern in his eyes, "but I would appreciate it."

"I sure will. Just let me go tell Grace where I'll be."

He was gone a couple minutes. Then he and Sully carried her down to the wagon, placing her on the pile of quilts Michaela had gathered in the back.

Sully could see just how pale she was in the fullness of daylight. Her eyes were closed and the normally strong, animated Sister Ruth looked very vulnerable indeed. _God, there is still so much she has left to do._ There was a pause as he thought about it, knowing nothing was hidden from God. _And I guess the truth is Michaela and I aren't ready to lose such a good friend yet. Please, help her get better._


	39. Chapter 39

Sully, Michaela, and Brian came into the bedroom carrying chairs and a table along with Katie and her highchair. Then they went back for the drinks and the stew Michaela had thrown together from leftovers, not feeling up to a lot of cooking.

"You didn't have to do that," Sister Ruth said when they'd finished though she looked pleased that they had.

"We're not going to let you eat alone," Michaela said. "And we wouldn't enjoy eating downstairs, missing out on your company."

Sister Ruth teared up. "I couldn't ask the Lord for a kinder family to have taken me in."

"Ru," Katie called from the highchair, her arms outstretched.

Michaela rubbed Katie's back comfortingly. "Sister Ruth's got to eat, sweetheart, and then get some sleep. She's not going to be able to hold you for awhile." Then she distracted her by giving her a drink to sip on.

Sully had never led his family in prayer before and he was overcome with an overwhelming desire to do so. "I know that saying grace has been your job, Sister Ruth, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I said it tonight."

"I wouldn't mind a bit," Sister Ruth answered. "I was hoping you would. A man ought to lead his family in prayer."

They all took a seat except for Sister Ruth, who was already in bed, and they bowed their heads and closed their eyes for his prayer.

It was the first prayer he had prayed to God out loud, but it flowed from his lips naturally, "Lord, I thank you for Michaela, Brian, Katie, Matthew, and Colleen. My family means everything to me. I thank You for all the friends in my life but especially for Sister Ruth for patiently teaching me what I needed to know and being a witness. Lord, may her healing be quick. She's been such a blessing on this household. Most of all though I thank You for my salvation. It's amazing to me that you've blessed me in so many ways even when I was living apart from You, particularly by giving me a Christian wife. We all thank You now for the food set before us. Let us enjoy both the meal and the fellowship. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen."

Brian looked at Sully when the prayer was done as if he couldn't quite reconcile the image of him praying, at least to the God of the Bible, with the Sully he knew.

Sully noticed and recognized the look. "I need to apologize to you, Brian. I haven't been setting a good example."

"You've been a great pa," he protested.

"Maybe in an earthly sense, but I haven't been setting a good spiritual example, and that's the most important task a parent can be given. I know the Lord now though, so things will be different from here on out."

Michaela had been right about Sister Ruth's need to get in bed. The spoon seemed heavier than usual to her and so each bite was almost a herculean effort. She got about halfway through the stew and then she set the spoon in the bowl. "It's right tasty, Dr. Mike. I just ain't up to eating a whole lot tonight."

Concern flashed in all their eyes, and Sully said, "If you need help eating. There ain't no shame in asking."

"Naw, that ain't it. It's mostly cause I'm getting kind of tired. I'll sleep it off and feel like eating in the morning, I'm sure."

The family feigned nothing being wrong after that, which Sister Ruth appreciated. There was no reason to worry over her when there was nothing that could be done. They shared stories from their day and laughter as they ate. It was a beautiful family scene and a tonic on its own. Sister Ruth fought to keep her eyes open to drink it all in, but sleep won out pulling her into its dark but peaceful abyss.

Brian got nervous when he saw her with her eyes closed. "Ma, Sister Ruth. Is she…"

"She fell asleep," Michaela whispered back. She pulled the cover over Sister Ruth higher and pulled the pins from her hair, so they wouldn't jab in her sleep. Her breathing wasn't as deep or as steady as she would have liked, but it was to be expected. She'd already removed Sister Ruth's corset to aid her with the breathing back at the clinic and her shoes had already been removed. She still wore her dress though instead of her nightclothes, but she decided to let her sleep in them, not wanting to disturb her rest.

She motioned for her family to move out, and they all slipped out quietly except Katie who called out loudly, "Night-night, Ru."

But Sister Ruth was already in a heavy enough sleep that she didn't hear it.

sss

Michaela breathed a little easier when she saw that Sister Ruth had made it through the night. Though she wasn't out of the woods yet, it was a good sign.

Sister Ruth had no lack of visitors during her recuperation; though the first few days she spent more time sleeping than waking. Reality seemed less real than the dreams and memories that occupied most of her time, but all the same, she was focused and aware when she was awake.

Henry was her first visitor.

"I never thought I'd be glad to see your sorry face," Sister Ruth told him with a grin.

"Likewise. It hasn't been the same at the reservation without you even though you've only been gone 2 days. The women miss you."

"You wouldn't be lying to a sick woman, would you, Brother Henry?"

She was still smiling, but Henry was serious. "Sometimes it takes something like this for people to appreciate what they have."

She sobered in response. "You talking about them or you?"

"Maybe both. I've been taking what you said about prayer to heart and I've been studying scripture. And I've been spending more time with them since I finished the church. I think I'm starting to see them as people."

"That's a start. Change hardly ever happens overnight. We're justified, but sanctification is a longer process that doesn't happen fully this side of glory.

He nodded in agreement and then changed the subject. "You're looking well."

"There you go lying to a sick woman again, but I ought to look well rested anyway. I hate just laying here. I feel like I should be up doing something, accomplishing things for the Kingdom."

"Maybe this circumstance is accomplishing something for the Kingdom, and you can pray. A wise person reminded me that prayer can draw you closer to God."

"Thank you, Brother Henry. I needed that reminder."

"I know I just got here, but I got to be going. Your doctor was strict that I couldn't stay for more than a couple minutes, and she doesn't look like a woman to be crossed."

Sister Ruth didn't have the energy to argue which proved Michaela was probably right about keeping the visit short.

"We'll all be praying for you at the reservation," he told before slipping out.

sss

Noah, Anna, and the girls visited.

"Henry gave us passes to come see you," Anna explained.

The girls hung in the doorway frightened to see her looking so vulnerable. Noah went back for them and guided them with hands on their backs to the bedside, all but pushing them there.

Esther began to cry. "You're going to leave us like Aunt Star Dancer."

Sister Ruth reached out a hand to softly touch her cheek. "I ain't gone yet, honey, but it's up to God whether He takes me or not."

"God's mean then if He takes you," Deborah said with shimmering eyes and an angry look.

"He's not. It'll be like going home for me. And for you girls, if you follow Jesus, our parting's not final. Your aunt's leaving wasn't final. She's in a wonderful place. Here let me read you this passage." She opened her Bible and read, "'And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve him:And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

The girls seemed fascinated by the description.

"That's where Aunt Star Dancer is?" Deborah asked.

"She is, and words can't begin to describe how wonderful it is there," Sister Ruth answered.

Anna nodded. "We will have Mr. Henry do some studies with us on heaven. We have certainly learned enough about hell from all those church services in the past."

The girls were interested by the prospect and already seemed less afraid of the situation.

"You been continuing your Bible studies with Brother Henry?" Sister Ruth asked, looking delighted to hear it.

"He does not too bad a job and he is helping with my learning to read. I know it will be a long while before I can read the Bible for myself, but the idea that one day I could is exciting to me."

Anna and the girls told her all about the things they had learned from Henry's few lessons until Sister Ruth fell asleep.

sss

Sister Ruth wasn't expecting a visit from Helen and was a little taken back when she did.

"Hank let me off to come see you," she told her as she came into the room.

"Will miracles never cease?" she said half teasing. half serious.

"Apparently not," she replied with an answering smile, but it quickly vanished. "You feeling better?"

"I don't think I'm going to be running no marathons or lifting no heavy objects anytime soon, but I'm hanging in there. You got something on your mind you want to talk about or you just come to visit?"

"I did want to check on you," she assured her, "but I do have another reason for coming."

"You looked like you did. I'm feeling well enough to listen."

She sat down on the visiting chair Michaela had placed in the room. "One of girls at the saloon died. Caught one of them diseases of the trade." Then she looked a little embarrassed, thinking she probably shouldn't have told that last part in front of a lady much less a religious lady, but Sister Ruth didn't look scandalized only sad.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Were you close to her?"

"Not particularly. We were on friendly terms, I suppose, but I guess what affected me the most was that she was my age. It could have been me that died."

"There but for the grace of God go I," she said quoting the much used proverb.

"That's it. It set me thinking. You know I've always sort of thought that one day I'll see what this God business is all about. Some time after I get married and have kids., but we may not have tomorrow."

"That's so," she agreed. "Only God knows the number of our days. We got to live each day to the fullest. Does this mean you want to give you life to Jesus?"

"Yeah, I guess it does, but I'm afraid. What if I've done too much for God to take me?"

"That's a flat-out lie the devil wants us to believe. There ain't no sin that keeps us from coming to Him. There's only one unforgivable sin, and that's hardening your heart to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost testifies of Christ, and there's no way to the Father but through Christ. So if you'd committed that sin, you wouldn't be here right now asking if you can come to Him."

Helen had been waiting for the answer on bated breath and visibly exhaled in relief. "I believe everything I've heard about Him in church. Maybe I always have. I've just been putting off making a commitment. No more though."

Sister Ruth held out a hand for Helen, and she took it. "Tell Him so. He's waiting for you to ask Him into your life."

"I've never been very good with words. Can you tell me what to say?"

"Praying ain't nothing but talking to your Maker the same as you're talking to me."

"That might be, but if I were to recite a prayer you gave me, He'd know I mean them the same as if I put them into my own words."

"That's true. He knows your heart. If that's the way you prefer it."

"It is," she said with a vigorous nod.

"Okay then let's pray. Father, I know I am a sinner and need the Lord Jesus, and I come to you now in His name."

"Father, I know I am a sinner and need the Lord Jesus, and I come to you now in His name."

"I believe that He died for my sins and that God has raised Him from the dead."

"I believe that He died for my sins and that God has raised Him from the dead."

"Thank You for saving me this day. In Your Son's holy name we pray. Amen."

"Thank You for saving me this day. In Your Son's holy name we pray. Amen."

People long entrenched in a life of sin had a way of looking world weary. As they claimed sin was doing them no harm, their body and facial expressions said differently. Whereas a Christian, whose body became the temple of the Holy Spirit, seemed to radiate a love and joy that made them seem almost otherworldly even in the most aged, disease ridden body. At least, that's what Sister Ruth believed, and this inner light was now shining out from Helen in a way that made her truly beautiful. A burden she didn't even know she'd been carrying until now had been lifted, and the result was glorious to behold.

"What should I do now?" Helen asked.

"The first thing I would do is tell the reverend about your decision to follow God. He's in better shape to counsel you than I am right now."

"I know what he'll tell me: working as a prostitute isn't right, and I know that, but Hank isn't going to let me out of my contract because I went and got religion, And I'm sure I'll lose Sundays off just to keep me from going to church, because I don't intend to hide it."

"You shouldn't. Our faith isn't meant to be covered up. He'll provide a way out, and in the meantime, I'll be praying for you and Hank both."

sss

Robert E, Grace, and their newborn baby came for a visit.

Sister Ruth had heard when Michaela was called for the delivery in the middle of the night, and the morning after she'd told Sister Ruth that the couple had a girl.

The sight of a new life in the world cheered her immensely. "Aww, she's just as sweet-looking as I pictured," Sister Ruth said.

The infant's eyes were shut tight, but she squirmed at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

"She's got a sweet disposition to match," Grace said with motherly pride. "We named her Ruth."

Sister Ruth's eyes opened wide in surprise and then she smiled even wider. "That's about the kindest thing anybody's ever done for me."

"You mean a lot to us," Robert E said, "You were a friend to us while we were still strangers."

"I only acted as any sister in Christ should, but I appreciate it all the same. I wish I was feeling up to holding her, but my arms feel a bit like wet noodles and just sitting up in bed seems to weary me. I just hope I can hold my namesake before the Lord calls me home."

"Of course you will cause you're going to get well," Grace said in a tone that brooked no arguing.

"It hurts to lose somebody we're close to, but it would hurt even more if we closed our self off to love," she said with her eyes half closed in the effort to keep them open.

Grace and Robert took it as their cue to leave. They both wondered silently if she had been referring to Kid Cole, Anthony, or herself, but irregardless they had both learned the truth of those words very well.

sss

About 3 weeks passed, and Sister Ruth wasn't showing much improvement. She was noticeably thinner, and she stayed fatigued. Michaela attended to her personal needs and either she or Sully would take her for a walk around the room at least once daily, but the way her heart beat erratically afterward worried Michaela and Sully to no end though they tried to hide their worry from both Sister Ruth and the children.

The reverend had been a regular visitor and as he took her hand on one particular visit, he could feel her growing thinness. His smile became a little strained.

"I'm not exactly skin and bones, Reverend. There's still plenty of meat left on me."

"How are you feeling?" he asked sympathetically.

"No better, no worse. Mostly I'm feeling restless, but I'm helping more find the Lord laying here, I think, than when I was up walking," she said with a chuckle. "Even when we think we're useless, God can find a way to use us."

"Amen. That's something I learned with my own affliction. You feeling up to some church folks praying for your healing?"

"Always," she said with a half smile.

He opened the door and people began pouring in. There were so many, they couldn't all fit in the bedroom. A glance out the new window showed that they couldn't even fit in the house. Sister Ruth was choked up at the sight.

The people all joined hands and prayed for her health. Sister Ruth didn't know if the prayer would be answered though the faith in His ability to grant such a prayer was strong in her heart and the hearts of the people gathered, but she knew one thing for certain, she was blessed.


	40. Chapter 40

Sister Ruth's prayer life had improved and she'd spent a lot of useful time in the Word, but she didn't know how much longer she could take being in bed. She had about read every available bit of reading material in the town.

Michaela had brought her a stack of her medical journals, and she was struggling over the first sentence of one of the articles. 'It is not the tonic, neurosthenic action of sulfate of quinine, nor its antiperiodic action that we have desired to take advantage of in the following experiments, but certain properties it possesses with regard to globules of blood, which have been the subject of interesting investigations.' With all the jargon in there, she might as well have been reading Greek, but it did help pass the time away trying to figure out what it meant.

"It's a pretty autumn day," Michaela announced as she came into the room and cracked the window to let some fresh air circulate. "The air's cool enough to be refreshing without being frigid."

"It's hard to believe it's another season from when I got confined to this bed. What I wouldn't give for a nice, long walk outside in God's glorious creation."

"Maybe we can remedy that. I believe we're ready to try the stairs today. If that goes well we'll see about going out tomorrow."

Michaela walked her down the stairs and around the house for about 15 minutes, monitoring her closely. Back on the bed once more, Michaela listened to her heart after the exertion. A big smile crossed her face as she let go of the bell and put the stethoscope down around her neck. "I do believe you're going to be okay."

"Of course I am. I'm too ornery and mean to die," Sister Ruth said with a laugh.

She laughed with her. "I don't think the disease knew what it was up against when it tried to get a hold of your heart. Kid Cole told me once that you have a heart big enough to fit the state of Texas in it and have room left over."

She smiled a tearful smile to hear her late husband's words. "He was the one with the big heart, but it's good to know I'm on the mend. It's always been a mystery why sometimes the Lord gives instant, miraculous healing, why sometimes He don't give it at all, and even more why sometimes He gives the healing, but it's a long, hard road to get there. I guess that's where the trust comes in. Prayers don't always get immediate answers. Don't mean He ain't hearing them."

Michaela thought back to the first she had prayed for Sister Ruth's healing and the first time she had prayed alone with her husband.

_She'd taken longer to get in bed that night because she had poured though the medical journals she had at home for any added thing she could do for Sister Ruth. She had finally gone to bed when her eyes had gotten too tired to make sense of the words on the pages. _

_The sight that greeted her eyes when she went into their bedroom was of her husband kneeling on the floor next to the bed. She watched his lips moving fervently in silent prayer, and the picture sent desire racing through her body and her spirit hungered to share in unity with God as they shared in other things._

"_Could we pray together?" Michaela ventured as she knelt by the bedside next to him._

_He looked up at her with smiling eyes. "Course we can," he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips._

_Then Sully bowed his head again and closed his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd bowed his head when she or another Christian prayed. He'd often done so, out of respect for their beliefs, but it was the first time he'd believed in the words with all his heart and soul and mind._

"_We can never thank You enough for our salvation. Help us to be the spouses we need to be to each other. May we be the parents You want us to be, guiding our children in Your truth. This has been a bittersweet day," she said, thinking of her happiness in Sully's salvation and her sadness because of Sister Ruth's health. The doctor in her attacked the problem scientifically first and sometimes she forgot to pray right away, but she did so now, "Grant Sister Ruth healing. We know there would be rejoicing in heaven at her presence there, but please, don't take her just yet. Give us the wisdom to aid in her recovery and the words to cheer her through her confinement. Amen."_

"_Amen," he echoed, squeezing her hand gently. When she was looking at him, he promised, "I'm going to be a better husband to you. I'm sorry that I took so long in coming to the Lord."_

"_So long as you came," she said before pressing her lips against his. _

_Their kissing grew in passion, and he lifted her up to the bed, both comforting and rejoicing with her in a way that only a husband and wife could. _

"You look a million miles away," Sister Ruth commented with an amused smile.

Heat crept onto her cheeks. "I was just thinking about my husband. I didn't think it was possible for our marriage to be any stronger, but I was wrong. Since he became saved, it's like we're on a more even keel about things. Not that we don't still have arguments, but there's a deeper, more eternal bond between us than there was before."

Sister Ruth nodded. "I've only been married once, and as you know, our married life started off with him knowing God. But from observing other couples, being with a brother in Christ helps a lot. The closer two people are walking to God, the closer they can walk with each other. Be careful though because a marriage can still fail even when you both share a love for Jesus Christ. You still got problems you got to work on together and pray about."

"I'll remember." A glance at the clock proved how late it was getting to be. "I have to be getting to the clinic now, but if you want or need to go downstairs for anything, I give you my permission. Just take it easy and go slow and remember that Sully is in yelling distance if you need him."

She opened up her bag to put her stethoscope in and saw a flash of white. "I almost forgot. You got a letter yesterday." She pulled out the envelope and gave it to Sister Ruth.

She wasted no time in opening it. "It's from that mission Henry's associated with. It says 'Dear Sister Ruth, Mr. Dunn much admired your work and thinks you have ideas that could be applied to the other reservations we serve. We are pleased to offer you a paid position to train our missionaries and make suggestions for improvements as you see the unique needs of each reservation. We will discuss the details in person if interested. Please, write back at your earliest convenience. Yours in Christ, Arnold Young, Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary.'"

"Are you going to take it?" Michaela asked.

"I always pray over any big decision before I give an answer; there's reasons to take it and reasons to stay. What matters the most is what does God wants for me."

"As your doctor, I say you have some healing to do before you're up to traveling, and as your friend, I say we love and want you here, but you always have a home with us whatever the decision is."

"That's good to know. Will you pray with me?"

Michaela answered by taking her hands and bowing her head.

Sister Ruth prayed, "Dear Lord, guide our steps in the coming days. Show us the plans You have for us. Let me know if it's Your will for me to stay in Colorado Springs or if it's Your will for me to go work with this mission. And in all things, Thy will be done. In Your Holy name we pray. Amen."

sss

It wasn't but a few minutes before Sully came up to talk with Sister Ruth about it.

"Michaela tells me the mission wants you to work for them and you ain't planning on telling them no."

"That's right, but I ain't planned on telling them yes either."

"And what about us? What about the ones you haven't reached: Cloud Dancing, every Indian on the reservation but Noah and Anna, Hank, Preston, and a whole other score of townsfolk? There's a lot more souls around here that could use your help."

"You're right about that. There's a whole harvest of lost souls, but that don't mean I'm the one God's going to use to convict them. You told Cloud Dancing about your salvation yet? I believe he'd hear it a whole lot better coming from you."

"I've told him. He didn't have much to say about it. I think he feels I've deserted him."

"Show him it ain't so. Show him you're capable of being a better friend than ever. And it ain't a done deal. You may get tired of seeing my face around here yet."

"That won't happen. Other than with Cloud Dancing, it seems like all my relationships are getting better. I can love better because I know God's love for me. Does that sound clichéd?"

"Nope, I'd be worried if you didn't feel that way." Then she got a girlish, mischievous look on her face. "Do me a favor?"

"That depends. What is it?"

"I'm dying to take a walk outside before Dr. Mike gets home. It'd do this old body a world of good. I don't think there's going to be a prettier fall day this year."

He slipped her packet of digitalis into his pouch. "If you promise to tell me the second you feel the least bit funny."

"I promise," she said solemnly.

"And don't go trying to outrun me," he added, offering her an arm to hold onto as she pushed up off the bed.

She laughed a hearty, healthy laugh as she said, "I'll try to hold myself back."


	41. Chapter 41

Sister Ruth was finally pronounced well enough to go to the reservation and it just so happened that it coincided with Thanksgiving. Henry had planned a big Thanksgiving for the reservation and town alike, and there was a good turnout. Sister Ruth hoped it would become a yearly tradition.

There was a definite nip in the air signaling that winter wasn't far away. Had it been any colder, their outdoor celebration might have been unbearable, but everyone was properly bundled.

As they walked the length of the tables and chairs that had been donated only for the day by various attendees, Katie clung to Sister Ruth's skirt for added balance and as if she was afraid Sister Ruth would get sick again if she let go.

Henry came up and greeted them all and then said, "There's a lot I have to thank God for this year. For helping show me the error of my ways for one. He's instilling a love for the work in my heart, and I believe it's showing."

"It is," Sister Ruth agreed. "I just love this time of year. Each year brings its blessings and trails, and it gives us the chance to reflect on just how much we owe Him and hopefully reminds us of the need to thank Him every single day."

Grace and Robert E were there and Sister Ruth got to hold her namesake, who was growing bigger at 2 months. She studied Sister Ruth with a serious but sweet expression and with a fist in her mouth.

Sully spotted Cloud Dancing in the crowd and excused himself to go talk with him.

"You going to sit with us or you still not happy with me?" Sully asked straightforwardly.

"It not a matter of being happy with you. It is a matter of you no longer accepting me for who I am," Cloud Dancing responded. "You no longer respect my spiritual path."

"I still respect you and all the Cheyenne ways but the religion as does God, and you will always be my friend whether or not you find the right path, but you have to understand that I want you to find it. I used to think it didn't matter what path you walked. That all roads ended up at the same place in the end, but now I've discovered that it isn't true and to keep it to myself even for the sake of saving our friendship would be the most selfish thing I could do."

Cloud Dancing gave a hard stare in return, seemingly unaffected by the statement.

"Could you walk by a drowning man and not offer a branch for him to grab onto? I've been in that river drowning. I didn't realize how bad off I was until I was pulled to safety, but I thank God someone extended me that branch, Jesus Christ."

"You are passionate about your new walk," was his only comment, but he seemed less angry.

Sully extended his arm. "Brothers?"

Cloud Dancing gripped his wrist, "Brothers. I have missed you."

"And I've missed you." Sully wouldn't be satisfied until his friend knew the joy he knew, but it was a start to know that he hadn't lost his friendship.

"There is something different about you. You seem…more complete," Cloud Dancing commented as they walked to the table.

"That's exactly how I feel," Sully agreed. "Like I'm finally living out the purpose that I was created for, which is to glorify my Creator."

"Will I be able to eat in peace or am I going to feel like I am in white man's church?" Cloud Dancing asked with a glimmer of amusement.

"I'm not going to beat you over the head with it, and I don't think it'd help anyway. A man's got to make his own decision. I still believe that. The only thing that's changed is I believe that decision counts for a whole lot more, and I'm not afraid to say it." Then he teased back, "But if it eases your mind I think the only thing I'm going to have on the brain for about the next 30 minutes is food."

There seemed to be more food spread along the tables than a person could ear in a lifetime. There were a few glistening, brown turkeys gracing the table, bowls of ruby cranberry jelly, cobs of golden corn, mounds of white mashed potatoes, crisp greens, orange tinted pumpkin pies, along with other assorted dishes. It was a rainbow of colors for the eyes and the palate.

Henry gave the blessing, and it took at least 5 minutes, but no one seemed to mind as everyone seemed in a grateful mood.

Sister Ruth did more observing than talking during the meal. She saw all the socializing going on and could see that things were marching on without her. The reverend had become more involved during her recovery and was now a regular face around the place. It was even obvious that they were even accepting Henry, who had been growing more Christlike. Proof of the power in prayer. Sully still regularly went to the reservation without her, lending his services. They would see the work was carried on. She wasn't needed. The realization filled her with gladness; it was the answer to her prayer of direction and her prayer for the people of this area that they would become more involved. Her time in Colorado Springs was drawing to a close.

The women from her class approached her at the end of the meal. Before she could ask them what they wanted, they unfolded a beautiful quilt with gorgeous jeweled tones that put a person in mind of a prairie sunset and the quilt was especially beautiful because it glittered with numerous beads.

"It is a Jacob's Ladder quilt," one of the women informed her, taking her speechlessness as a sign that she was trying to figure out what she was looking at.

"Ya'll made this for me?" Sister Ruth was touched more than she could say, especially because they'd remembered that it was the first quilt she had ever made on her own.

When stoic nods affirmed her question. She stood up and gave them all hugs that shook some of the stoicness out of them and brought smiles.

"I have a gift for everybody too." On that cue, Sully retrieved the guitar that had belonged to Kid Cole that had been laying in the wagon bed. The crowd had become quiet in anticipation. "This song means a lot to me. I hope it comes to mean a lot to you too," she said by way of introducing the song. Tears began streaming down her face as her fingers found their proper place between the frets, but her voice rang out clear as a bell as she sang the song that had turned out to have prophetic qualities.

"We've come to the time in the season  
When family and friends gather near  
To offer a prayer of Thanksgiving  
For blessings we've known through the year  
To join hands and thank the Creator  
And now when Thanksgiving is due  
This year when I count my blessings  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you  
This year when I count my blessings  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you

I'm grateful for the laughter of children  
The sun and the wind and the rain  
The color of blue in your sweet eyes  
The sight of a high ball and train  
The moonrise over a prairie  
Old love that you've made new  
This year when I count my blessings  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you  
This year when I count my blessings  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you

And when the time comes to be going  
It won't be in sorrow and tear  
I'll kiss you goodbye and I'll go on my way  
Grateful for all of the years  
I thank for all that you gave me  
For teaching me what love can do  
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you  
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life  
I'm thanking the Lord He made you."

It was a cathartic act, and she inhaled deeply as the air reverberated with the sound of the last chord.

When the air was still, she said, "I thank you all for the friendship and love you've shown me through this difficult period of my life. God's going to do great things for this town and this reservation. He already is."

There was applauds, nods, and general murmurs of agreement in response.

The reverend came up to her as she was closing the guitar case. "I've always enjoyed hearing you sing and you're pretty good on that guitar, but the song you sang was touching."

"Kid Cole wrote it. I think I've got that answer to your why question," she said with a bittersweet smile.

He still recalled their conversation in the graveyard. "You do?"

"Steel is strong because of the fire it's been through. You aren't the same person you were before you lost your sight and you're stronger for it. Your faith stood up through it. Anyone can follow God when everything's going good, but it's a mature Christian that can keep praising the Lord's name when things ain't as good."

He nodded in agreement and quoted, "The trying of your faith worketh patience."

"I think I'd become too sure from my days as a healer, thinking that God would grant instant healing to anyone who simply had the faith that He would heal them like the woman who touched the hem of His garment. I'd forgotten the lesson of Job. Sometimes there's a purpose in our physical imperfections, and it's enough to know like Paul that God's grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect in weakness."

The screams of laughter that came from the children, white and Indian, as they played together was a happy interruption and they both took the time to listen to it, realizing what a precious gift it was.


	42. Chapter 42

Sister Ruth telegraphed her response to the mission and despite the oath Horace had taken to protect privacy, she knew it was only a matter of time before the news became public knowledge. She'd already told those closest to her of her decision. They'd all been disappointed as they'd hoped she would make Colorado Springs her permanent home, but they'd been understanding by far and large.

Though Colorado Springs was growing all the time, there were still hours the streets managed to be fairly deserted. She looked at the empty street and remembered the events of just a week ago when the street had also been fairly deserted.

She'd been taking a walk through the town just relishing the sights and sounds, underappreciated before but now having great value after being cooped up in the house for so long with her earthly life handing in the balance.

Suddenly Helen had come flying toward her, her hair and shawl fluttering out behind her in unfettered freedom and she had a conservative but colorful dress on.

"Hank let me out of my contract!" Helen said, her face shining with happiness and excitement.

Sister Ruth embraced her. "I'm so happy to hear that, but where will you go? Where you staying now?"

"Right now, I'm staying in Henry Wray's cabin while he stays in one of the single men's cabin, and I like living there. I've been going to the reservation church on Sundays because that's where I feel the most comfortable with not as much judgment taking place there. It only makes sense that I'd be comfortable living there too. There's a piece of land for sell just outside of the reservation. It's really cheap since that fact's not usually a draw for most people. I think I've got enough to swing it, and I know how to live off the land. I don't know what all the future holds for me, but I'm looking forward to it."

"And you'll be another living witness at the reservation to what the Lord can do in a person's life. I think it's a fine idea. God always makes a way."

She became more alert to the present as she drew closer to the saloon where Hank was outside leaning against the building. When she walked by, he thrust a paper into her hands.

"What's this?" she asked as she turned the paper over to look at it.

"My kid drew it. I described what he looked like and he sent this back," he answered in a tone that said he was trying to keep disengaged from any emotion and wishing she would accept the gift and hurry on her way.

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. It was a nearly perfect rendition of Kid Cole. If she didn't know better, she'd swear that Kid Cole had sat for the picture.

Sister Ruth was hugging him before he could stop her. Non-sexual hugs made Hank intensely uncomfortable, and he became extremely tense, but he didn't push her away. "No need to get gushy about it. It's just to return the favor you did by cleaning up my nose and giving me your handkerchief."

She released him and said, "One day you'll come to the Lord, brother. I feel it in my bones."

He snorted. "Yeah, and maybe pigs'll fly one day too."

"Haven't you heard?" Sister Ruth said with a smile. "They already have. Peter saw the sky open up and a sheet full of animals come down and among them was a pig."

Hank couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't know who I could get to do a finer job of harassing me. You are the most persistent religious nut I've ever met. I've almost gotten accustomed to you being around like the pesky drunks I can't stand, but I have to keep letting through my doors because they do pay for their drinks. And I have gotten some change out of you with all the visits to Helen. Shame I had to let her go."

"Which reminds me, I haven't thanked you for letting Helen out of her contract. That was a nice thing to do."

"There wasn't nothing nice to it. It was a business decision. She was running off customers with her evangelizing. A man doesn't come to a woman in a saloon seeking God."

"That's exactly what he's seeking. He's a lost soul seeking fulfillment. He may not know he can find it in God, but he's looking, just in the wrong places."

He shook his head in disgust and amusement. "Everything goes back to God with you."

"Because everything does. That's the point of life, brother, to seek and find the God of the universe. Anything apart from Him is emptiness; it's man thinking he can find answers apart from his Creator but finding destruction instead. Most of the men that walk through your door seek women because deep down they're lonely and looking for a connection that only our Friend and Father can provide, or they use the bottle as a release for the pain and stress in their life when what they need is to go to the Healer and Comforter, or they seek their happiness in earthly wealth with their gambling instead of storing up treasures in heaven. The Bible says there's pleasure to be had in sin."

"Does it really?" he asked with a perk of interest.

"For a season," she continued. "God is the only source of eternal pleasure."

"You and your preaching. This town's been shot all to he—don't look so severe. I was going to say heaven. The town's been shot all to heaven since you got here."

Sister Ruth didn't look like she believed that had been what he was about to say for a minute, but a smile tugged at her lips. "I like that expression. There have been a number of revivals and turnings to God, but there's still plenty left who are lost."

"Fortunately for me," he said with a grin.

Though he meant to irritate her and drive her away because her words had disturbed him, she only smiled in return. "One day, brother, one day." She slipped the ink drawing into her Bible and held it against her heart as she walked away.

"What are you some kind of prophet now?" he called out mockingly. She didn't respond and then he glanced heavenward as if he would receive a response there. He shook off the prickly feeling he had and went back into the saloon.


	43. Chapter 43

The wintery weather was here to stay, and Sister Ruth could see her breath tumbling out in front of her as she walked through the graveyard. Names jumped out at her: Marcus, Maude, Abigail. She wondered at their stories. Had they known God? Were they rejoicing with Him now? She hoped so.

Though graveyards could be a sad place, a place for reflection, there was also hope there for the dead in Christ. She liked to picture the graves bursting open as the bodies were raised to meet the returning Christ.

She stopped in front of the headstone that had no body resting underneath and touched the cold stone. "I reckon this was my testing in the desert. I guess we always grieve as long as we live because a body knows that it ain't quite natural to be separated from loved ones this way. We were made for eternity. Thank you, Lord, though that the pain lessens with time. I don't know how we'd make it through life if it didn't, and I thank You for the time we had together.

"I don't believe the dead can hear us, God, but I do believe You could pass a message along. Tell Him I'm doing Your work and that my faith has grown stronger. Tell him I love him and I'll see him soon.

"Because I do love you, Kid Cole. I do," she said, her fingers outlining the letters of his name. "I do." Then she turned away and her eyes fell upon one of the many crosses there. "And I love You most of all, my Lord and my Redeemer. Thank You for never leaving me."

The sound of an approaching train reminded her that it was time to get to the train station. When she got there, the station was packed. She wondered at the number of people traveling as Christmas was still a few weeks off until she realized that the faces were familiar, and they were there to see her off.

Sully had already unloaded her luggage from the wagon, and she could see a porter was now loading her things onto the train. Her entire life's belongings could be fit into one trunk and that's how she liked it. Her philosophy was there was no use getting attached to worldly possessions as she wasn't going to be taking it with her anyway, and the practical reason was that the less one owned the easier travel was. She did have to admit her worldly possessions had increased slightly since Kid Cole's death, not being able to part with most of his things. Fortunately for her, he hadn't owned very much either.

She said her goodbyes to all the people there for her: Horace, Loren, Dorothy, Grace, Robert E, little Ruth, Helen, the Reverend, Henry, Noah, Anna, and the children. Even Cloud Dancing and Hank had made an appearance to see her off. She ended with the family who had opened their hearts and home to her.

"You really should slow down," Michaela warned her. "You can't keep the same pace you did before."

"I ain't going to spend what time I got left waiting to die if that's what you mean. That's not living." She saw the anxious look on her face. "Don't worry, Dr. Mike, I do aim to take it easier. I don't want to be flat on my back for another 3 months."

"I still think there's plenty left to do around here," Sully said.

"Of course, there is, but I go where He leads me, and remember a town built on a hill can't be hidden. If you all and the other believers around here keep letting your light shine, you'll be surprised just how much the Lord is glorified."

"That won't keep us from missing our dear friend," Michaela said with a tender smile.

Sister Ruth smiled back just as tenderly. "You don't know what the Lord's got in store next. Could be I'll pass this way again, but if I don't, just remember there's no such word as goodbye for Christian brothers and sisters. It's just see you later," she said, giving their hands gentle squeezes.

She looked to Brian next. "You be good, honey. You watch out for your little sister. Remember she'll be looking to you to set a good example for living in the Lord."

"I'll remember," he said somberly, giving her a hug.

Then she hugged and kissed Katie who was too little to understand that she wasn't coming back, but she sensed the somber mood all the same and reached her hands out for Sister Ruth to take her. "I wish I could take you with me, Katie girl, but I think your parents would have something to sake about that," she said with a chuckle, giving her a soft pat on her back.

The porter made it known with his cries that it was the last call to board.

After one last, quick round of hugging the family in front of her, Michaela and Sully watched her board the train. They knew the house would feel emptier with Sister Ruth gone as if it could sense it was missing a member of the family.

The sound of a train whistle signaled that it was getting ready to move. The whistle could sound so inviting when it was carrying loved ones and friends to you, and the same sound sounded so melancholy when it was carrying them away.

sss

Sister Ruth had a seat next to the window and she looked out at the ever-changing town. It was hard to tell what new buildings were going to have popped up if she came through again. It was definitely a town earmarked for growth, but Colorado Springs would always be close to her heart however it changed because of the people living in and around it.

She knew that Sully had been right. There was more work to be done, but they would see. The work wasn't over yet. She had been but an instrument of the Lord's hand.

As she studied the crowd her eyes fell upon Hank, who had been trying to carry off the air of not caring, but the fact that he was there showed that he did, and a troubled look had appeared on his face after the sound of the whistle as if his chance at salvation might have been going with it. Her heart lifted though when she saw him making his way over to the reverend with a look of desperation. She could see he was asking the reverend something. From the looks that transpired between them, Hank's earnestness and Reverend Johnson's surprise, it was just possible Hank's day had come.

She sent up a prayer of thanksgiving.

Her eyes moved to Cloud Dancing, who was now next to Sully. She knew it was only a matter of time before Sully's testimony moved Cloud Dancing's heart. A lifetime of leading people to the Lord had shown her when someone was softening their heart to Him.

The train was beginning to move and though she knew it would take a bit before it picked up any kind of real speed, she looked forward. Knowing if she studied the dear people any longer, she might just get some second thoughts.

"Is this seat taken?" asked a gangly youth.

She told him no, and once he was settled in his seat, she turned to the young man and asked with a sunny smile on her face, "Do you know the Lord, brother?"

The End


End file.
